Inner Strength
by Krickis
Summary: Being a princess means always worrying what everypony thinks about you. So when Twilight overhears a private conversation, she has to come to terms with how she feels about herself, love, and a certain somepony, all while weighing her public image against
1. Eavesdropping

Note: This story is complete, but I'm currently editing it and only chapters done with editing will be posted. I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!

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Twilight Sparkle walked leisurely through Ponyville. It was mid-afternoon, and it was a beautiful day. She had spent the morning reorganizing the castle's library and had planned to spend the afternoon reading some of the books that had caught her eye in the process, but it was just too good a day to spend indoors. That and Spike was 'experimenting' in the kitchen. Truth be told he was a good cook, certainly better than Twilight, but he had decided the best way to win Rarity's heart was to prove he could be as high class as anypony else, and that meant fine cuisine. Unfortunately his ambitions were higher than his abilities, and Twilight preferred to put some distance between her and the mess that would ensue. So instead she was wandering the town with no real destination in mind.

She strolled through town waving at everypony she passed. That was her favorite thing about life in Ponyville, always so many smiling faces. She had wandered into the market when she heard the one pony who smiled more than any other. "Morning Twilight!"

"Good morning, Pinkie." Twilight answered brightly. Noticing the saddle bags filled with paint, balloons, and all manner of other supplies she added, "Planning a party I take it?"

"Yupperony! Cherry Blossom is coming to town for Cheerilee's birthday, so I'm throwing a sister reunion birthday party! Twice the reason to celebrate means twice the party!" Until recently Cheerilee and her sister Cherry Blossom hadn't been talking. It had taken a sprained hoof and a championship wrestling match to get them to be friends again.

"I'm glad to hear things are still going well for them. Can I help with anything?"

"Oh Twilight, don't worry about it. I'm a party professional. It's in the bag!" Right on cue the saddle bag exploded with confetti, causing several passersby to jump in surprise. The pink pony just laughed. "Literally!"

Twilight chuckled and rolled her eyes. She knew she'd never understand Pinkie, but all the same her friend certainly never failed to put a smile on her face. "Well, I'm not doing anything anyway, I'm sure there's something I could do to help?"

"Nope! Everything's all taken care of." Pinkie said. "Although if you're looking to kill some time Fluttershy told me she had a very busy day with her animals today. I'm sure she'd appreciate a hoof."

Thinking on it though, a visit with Fluttershy would be nice, and party planning really wasn't her strong suit anyway. "That sounds like a great idea, thank you Pinkie."

"Okie dokie lokie! Say hi for me!" As she hopped off she began singing a song, leaving her good mood on everypony in her wake. Twilight almost joined in herself but instead hummed tunelessly.

Along the way she stopped for lunch, grabbing two hayburgers to go. Knowing her friend, she would be so caught up taking care of her animals that she would forget to take care of herself. Twilight smiled. She could help Fluttershy with her animals then the two of them could have a small picnic. She hoped Fluttershy wouldn't mind her dropping in unannounced. Momentarily worried, Twilight just shook her head. Fluttershy's cottage was a frequent destination for her these days, and she never complained about the company. Once she was out of the busy market square she could hum along with the birds singing. It really was a perfect day, and nothing would bring her down.

When she arrived at the cottage she took a moment to fix her mane. While stopped she heard Rainbow Dash from inside, but couldn't make out the words. She looked at the burgers and felt guilty. She hadn't planned for anypony else being here. _'Oh well. Guess that's what I get for dropping by unannounced.'_ She supposed they could always go into town for lunch, or if Fluttershy didn't mind she could always just make herself a sandwich.

She approached the house but before she could knock she heard Rainbow more clearly. "Well, do you know if she likes mares?"

Twilight froze, her breath catching in her throat. She knew this wasn't a conversation she should be listening in on, but she couldn't help herself. _'Does who like mares?'_ Twilight wondered. Whatever Fluttershy said was too quiet for her to make out.

"Shy, if you don't tell her you'll never know what might happen." At this point Twilight abandoned all pretense of not listening and pressed her head right up to the door.

She heard Fluttershy squeak something. For once she wished the shy pegasus was a little less soft spoken. _'Just say a name! Who is it? Just say it's…'_

"Do you really believe that?" Rainbow asked skeptically. "Come on Shy, whether she feels the same way or not Rarity is not going to hate you." Rarity. Fluttershy did have feelings for a mare and it was Rarity. Twilight stepped away from the door, staring at it without seeing for a minute. If they said anything else Twilight didn't hear. She forced herself to take a deep breath then calmly walked away. The trip home didn't seem so nice. The warm welcoming sun now felt hot and overly bright, the birds chirping felt off key and out of place, and the crowded market place felt, well, crowded. She arrived at her big castle, which felt empty despite her friends' best efforts.

"Hey Twilight." Spike said sheepishly as she stepped inside. "You, uh, might want to stay out of the kitchen for a while." When Twilight didn't say anything he added, "I'll clean it all up though, promise!"

"It's fine, Spike." Twilight barely looked at him, making her way towards her room.

"Is everything okay?" he asked as he walked up to her. He was a mess, covered in ingredients Twilight didn't care to guess.

"Of course." She put on her best unconvincing smile.

"Come on Twi, what's wrong? You know you can talk to me about anything."

Twilight looked at him properly, noticing how concerned he was. But she also knew he wouldn't understand even if she did explain. "I know Spike. And I'm fine, really. I just overheard something I shouldn't have, and feel a little guilty."

"Ah come on, you can't let something like that get you down. It was just an accident. I'm sure whoever you overheard will understand."

"You're right, Spike." Twilight smiled, genuinely. "I'm just gonna go relax with a book for now, and I'll sort everything out later." As she turned to go towards her room again the little dragon ran up and hugged her before heading back to the kitchen. She really did feel better, even if now she had what looked like peanut butter in her fur.

True to her word, after cleaning off, she did grab a book. A large brown journal with a yellow and red star on the front. Her duties as princess had kept her from visiting her human friends as often as she'd like to, but she did keep in regular contact with Sunset Shimmer. Initially Twilight had been a mentor to Sunset, helping her to learn the magic of friendship, but in truth she didn't need too much guidance, having already learned a lot from her friends at Canterlot High. Now the two had a close bond, as close as Twilight was with her Ponyville friends, and there were some things that were just easier to tell to Sunset.

'Dear Sunset,

Today while I was out I overheard Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash talking and, well… I shouldn't of been listening in of course but I heard that Fluttershy has feelings for somepony else. Before you ask I'm fine, and I really want to help her. This could be a chance for her to be happy, and with how shy she is I get the feeling that she'll need all the support she can get if she's ever going to tell the other pony how she feels. But at the same time I don't know if I should mention it, since I was never meant to hear about it in the first place. What do you think I should do?'

Twilight smiled, the irony of the Princess of Friendship asking the former terror of Canterlot High and would be conqueror for friendship advice wasn't lost on her. But she was proud of Sunset for how far she'd come, and knew she could count on her for a second opinion without risking spilling Fluttershy's secret to somepony who close to her. She wouldn't say it was Rarity specifically since they never did figure out exactly how similar the alternate world doubles were, and she didn't want to betray the human Fluttershy's secret. She set the book aside, idly wondering when she'd get a reply. She looked at the quill and knew there was another letter she ought to write. A letter she had only been putting off for a couple years now, and to some extent for her entire adult life. She sighed and grabbed some parchment. Dipping her quill in the ink she stared at the blank paper, writing nothing. _'I suppose I should start with a greeting.'_ She still wrote nothing. Minutes passed and the page remained pristine. Eventually she was saved from pretending to write the letter by a knock on the door.

"Twilight?" Spike called. Happy to have an excuse Twilight practically leaped to the door. She threw it open, even though she knew it probably meant helping with the kitchen. "Rainbow Dash is here, and she's pretty angry. Was she the one you overheard earlier?"

Oh buck. Had she been seen? Twilight collected her thoughts for a few moments longer than strictly necessary then took a deep breath. "Yes." She smiled sheepishly. "I didn't think anypony saw me. Well, I suppose I better talk to her. It's better than pretending I didn't hear in any case."

"Alright, Twi. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."

Twilight met Rainbow Dash in the entry hall. Like Spike said she did seem pretty upset. "Twilight, were you at Fluttershy's earlier?" Straight to the point.

If Rainbow had seen her why did she have to ask? Twilight briefly wondered if denying it was a possibility, but decided it would be better to own up to it. Rainbow apparently knew she was there, and she didn't want to get caught in a lie on top of everything else. "Yes, and I didn't mean to listen in, I'm sorry."

"How much did you hear?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight sighed. No point in denying what this was all about. "That Fluttershy has feelings for Rarity."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "And what's wrong with that?" She seemed a little too angry to Twilight. It had been an accident, and it wasn't like she was going to run off and tell Rarity all about it or anything.

"Rainbow, is everything okay?" Twilight asked. "You seem a little agitated."

Twilight had been wrong about Rainbow being angry before. She was restrained before. Now she was angry. "Answer the question! What's wrong with Fluttershy having a crush on another mare?" Rainbow practically yelled.

Twilight was taken aback. Why had this escalated so much? "What… I never said there was anything wrong with it! Why are you yelling at me?"

"Then why the buck did you leave!?" Rainbow's face was within a foot of Twilight's now. Fight or flight instinct kicking in, Twilight closed the gap a few more inches.

"Because I shouldn't have been there in the first place!"

Rainbow stared unflinching for a moment, eyes locked with Twilight's. "Do you have something against gay ponies?"

"What!?" Twilight stood slack jawed. If they hadn't been yelling she might have laughed. "Do I… what? No!"

Rainbow held Twilight's glare, but she stopped yelling. "So you don't care that Fluttershy likes mares?"

"Of course I don't! Why would you even think that?"

Rainbow took a step back and stared off to the side. "Well… when we realized you were there and that you just left all of a sudden like that…"

"I was embarrassed that I heard something I wasn't meant to, and I know Fluttershy wouldn't want me to find out like that. I just thought it'd be better to address it later."

"Oh." Rainbow was quiet for minute. She rubbed the back of her neck and frowned. "Sorry I yelled at you. I guess I over reacted. It' just… Fluttershy's terrified all our friends will hate her if they know, and I just don't want her to get hurt. So when we realized you left she kinda assumed the worst. I told her it's dumb, that she should just come out. Nopony that matters is gonna care. Buck anypony who doesn't realize how awesome she is, right?"

"Coming out can be the hardest thing for some ponies to do. Even if she has no reason to worry about her friends. I'll talk to her about it tomorrow though. She should know we all love her no matter what."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll head back over there now, she was pretty upset when I left. Oh, and Twilight?" Rainbow grinned. "If you're gonna flee the scene of the crime don't leave any evidence. Even delicious evidence."

Twilight facehoofed. "The burgers. I left the burgers."

Rainbow laughed. "Yeah, she knew it was you 'cause you've been bringing her lunch, and you're the only one who remembers she doesn't like mustard."

"Mayo."

"Whatever." With one last eye roll Rainbow flew off. Twilight thought about following after her, but it was getting pretty late and she had a feeling that they had a pretty long talk ahead of them.

"What's the big deal?" Spike asked.

"Spike, were you listening in?"

"Twilight I was three rooms away. With how loud she was I'm not surprised you overheard her. Everyone in Ponyville could of heard that racket." Twilight was glad she had only said Rarity's name before they were yelling. "I mean, so what if Fluttershy likes mares? Why would she be afraid of telling other ponies about it? I mean, aside from being Fluttershy and being afraid of everything."

Twilight smiled. She could barely contain her pride for her little brother. So she didn't. She grabbed him unaware and pulled him into a tight hug. To his credit he didn't squirm. Much. "Come on." she said, once she had let him go. "I'll help you finish cleaning the kitchen."


	2. Hiding Away

Fluttershy was still in bed. _'Why did I have to talk about all that yesterday anyway? If I just kept everything with Rarity to myself then none of this would be happening.'_ Fluttershy rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, despite not being tired. It was well into the morning, and she should be up taking care of her animal friends, but she was too daunted by the day ahead of her. Rainbow had told her about her talk with Twilight the night before, so she felt better knowing that Twilight probably didn't hate her. But Twilight was coming by today to talk to her about what she heard, which made her want to curl up into her bed and become one with it, something she was trying her very best to do.

There was a knock at the door. Fluttershy threw her head under a pillow. It had to be Twilight. Maybe she'd go away if she thought Fluttershy wasn't home? Another knock, probably not. The idea of getting up to answer the door was horrifying. Almost as horrifying as the idea of Twilight thinking Fluttershy hated her because she wouldn't answer the door. With a whimper she pulled her head out from the pillow only to see a pair of magenta eyes staring at her. She screamed.

Rainbow sighed. "Come on Shy, it's time to get up. You can't stay hidden away forever."

"I know. I shouldn't put myself through this. I need to be stronger." Fluttershy sighed.

"No. Well, yeah, but I meant I almost got eaten by a hungry bear."

Fluttershy giggled. Of course Harry wouldn't really hurt anypony, but Rainbow had a point. It was time to face the day! Or at least feed her animal friends. That part of the day should be manageable. So the two of them left to feed and check up on all the animals. Well, Fluttershy did. Rainbow was otherwise occupied with practicing some aerial stunts, but Fluttershy appreciated her presence nonetheless.

As always the animals did a lot to put her mind at rest, and at times she even forgot all about Twilight and the idea that somepony knew about her, but then she'd remember and want to just hide away again. She moved slowly, weighed down by her thoughts, and the sun was high in the sky by the time she finished. "I don't know about you, but I'm beat." Rainbow said, despite having taken the chance for a midday nap while she thought Fluttershy wouldn't notice.

"Would you like some tea? Or coffee?" Fluttershy offered.

"Coffee sounds good."

Napping aside, Rainbow wasn't normally up in the morning, and Fluttershy felt a little guilty for not thinking to offer it sooner, especially since she had been over late into the night making sure Fluttershy was okay. She got the water boiling and added the coffee grounds. She didn't actually drink coffee herself, but always kept it around for Rainbow.

While they were waiting for the coffee there was another knock on the door. Fluttershy panicked in the kitchen while Rainbow took the liberty of answering it.

"Hello Rainbow. How's Fluttershy?"

"Alright. She's in the kitchen." Fluttershy heard the door close and two sets of hoofsteps approaching. Lacking any reasonable place to hide she hid in her mane.

"Hello Fluttershy." Twilight said, ignoring the fact that Fluttershy was cowering in a chair at the kitchen table.

"Hello." Fluttershy squeaked. The purple alicorn wrapped a foreleg around her.

"Fluttershy, everything's okay." Fluttershy peeked through her shield to see Twilight smiling warmly. "And you certainly don't have any reason to worry about hiding anything from me, or any of your friends. We all love you no matter what."

"But… I'm a…" Fluttershy shook her head. She knew it was ridiculous, but she felt like if she never said it nopony could hold it against her.

"You like mares. It's really not a big deal, Fluttershy." Twilight said. When she said it it definitely sounded like it wasn't a big deal.

Fluttershy came out of her mane, but didn't return the hug. "Thank you Twilight. But it's okay if you don't, uhm, want to be so close to me anymore."

Twilight kept hold of Fluttershy. "That's just silly. This shouldn't change anything between us, and I'm not letting you go until you hug me back."

Fluttershy couldn't help but smile as she hugged her friend. "See, just like I told you." Rainbow said. "Our friends care about you, they wouldn't let something like that get in the way. And I'm sorry if I push you too hard sometimes. I just want you to be happy, Shy."

Fluttershy pulled Rainbow into the hug. "Thank you, both of you. I know I shouldn't worry so much, but the idea of telling other ponies…"

"I understand." Twilight said. "And we won't pressure you to tell anypony you don't want to. That's an important decision you need to make for yourself."

As they pulled away from each other Fluttershy looked between her friends, who were both smiling warmly. Fluttershy couldn't believe how lucky she was. She felt like she might cry. "Oh, thank you girls so much. You're the best friends anypony could ever ask for."

"Well this best friend needs coffee." Rainbow said. She rolled her eyes, but Fluttershy could tell she enjoyed the attention anyway. "I can't believe I woke up before noon…" She helped herself to a cup, leaving Fluttershy feeling inhospitable.

"Oh and, uhm… Spike kinda found out too." Twilight rubbed her shoulder bashfully. "Sorry."

"You told Spike?" Rainbow glared.

"Of course not! Somepony was screaming it from the other room though, so he kinda overheard."

"Rainbow! You said you two just talked. You yelled at her?"

Rainbow looked between the two ponies, then attempted to avoid the question by taking a big gulp of coffee, which was still scalding hot and left her eyes watering.

"It's fine. We both yelled a bit actually, and we really did talk afterwards." Twilight said. Fluttershy knew she was covering for Rainbow, at least a little bit, but things seemed okay between them now, so she decided to let it go. "Oh, and Spike's fine with it too! I'm sorry, I'm sure you would have wanted him to find out from you once you're ready. I suppose that goes for me too, I'm sorry I overheard yesterday."

"It's… it's okay. I think it was kind of better that way." Fluttershy said. She'd spent years hiding it from everypony, and thought she might spend her whole life hiding. Even if it was just Twilight and Spike part of her was glad she had at least a few more friends she wouldn't have to hide this from. "Uhm, does he know about… Rarity?" She squeaked the last word, but Twilight knew what she meant.

"No, he didn't hear about that."

"Oh, good. He'd probably be upset."

Twilight chuckled. "I'm sure he'd be fine. He'll have to come to terms with Rarity being with somepony else someday, I really don't think she's interested in dating a kid."

' _I guess we both will. She'd never want to be with a mare either.'_ Fluttershy thought. She smiled and shook her head. "Still, I'd just hate for him to feel bad because of me. Especially since, uhm, nothing will ever happen between me and her anyway."

"Why do you say that?" Twilight asked.

"Well, it's just that I know she likes stallions, so..."

"Fluttershy, you do know some ponies like both, right?"

"Exactly!" Rainbow decided it was safe to jump back into the conversation. "That's exactly what I said! If you want to know for sure you've got to tell her." Twilight glared at her. "Right. Too pushy. Sorry." She continued to quietly sip her coffee while Twilight set the tea kettle.

"What if we did know though?" Twilight asked. "If we knew how Rarity felt about mares, do you think you would ask her out then?"

"I… oh, I don't know. Uhm, has she said something to you?" Fluttershy partially retreated in her mane again.

"No, but I could ask. Of course I wouldn't say you name or anything, I could just tell her that I know a mare who has a crush on her and ask if she might be interested."

Fluttershy desperately wanted to know. She'd been in love with Rarity for a long time and constantly wondered what would happen if she did confess. But even though Twilight's plan sounded like it would work she still wasn't sure. She was scared of Rarity somehow figuring out she was the one that was interested. "Uhm… I'll think about it."

The tea whistled and Twilight served them both a cup, while Rainbow stuck to coffee. Fluttershy made some quick snacks and the three moved into the living room where Rainbow launched into the story of her crazy week with the weather team. Fluttershy tried paying attention but she kept glancing at Twilight. Occasionally Twilight would glance at her and smile, then look away. _'What does she think of me now? She's probably just being nice. Even if Twilight is being honest and doesn't hate me, things probably won't ever be the same now.'_

"So Cloud Kicker's stuck in the attic with this tornado and-"

"Is it weird being around me now? Oh! Sorry, that was rude. Uhm, please finish your story, Rainbow."

Rainbow looked slightly annoyed but didn't say anything. "What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Well, do I make you, uhm… uncomfortable?"

Twilight looked confused. "Why would you?"

"Well… I, uhm, like mares." She winced as she said it. "And… and you're…" She hid in her mane.

"A mare?" Twilight smiled. "A lot of ponies like mares, I don't mind being around any of them. Why would I feel uncomfortable around you, but not around, say, Big Mac?"

"Oh, uhm… but he's a stallion."

Twilight shrugged. "Why is it okay to be friends with a stallion that likes mares, but not a mare who does? I could never feel uncomfortable around you, I promise."

Fluttershy could see her point. Logically it made sense, but she couldn't help but feel like there was a difference, even if she couldn't explain why.

"Besides, you don't seem to worry about Rainbow knowing." Twilight said.

"Oh, that's different. I've known Rainbow so long she's like my sister." Fluttershy said. "Besides, she was there when I was figuring everything out, and even helped me understand how I felt about other mares."

Twilight tried, and failed, to hold in a laugh, while Rainbow facehoofed. Fluttershy looked between the two until it dawned on her how what she said sounded and blushed from inside her mane.

"Not like that!" Rainbow said. "What she means is my awesome advice helped her accept her feelings." This time Twilight didn't even try not to laugh.

"It's true, actually." Fluttershy said.

Twilight grinned. "Really? Rainbow Dash, the after school special?"

"Whatever, it's not important. I was kinda a jerk back then anyway." Rainbow deflected.

"Oh Dash, you always meant well." Fluttershy said.

"Alright, so what actually happened?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow just grumbled in her chair. "She was the first pony I told. Well, the only pony really." Fluttershy said. "Back when we lived in Cloudsdale. I didn't really know what I felt at the time, but she told me it didn't matter either way, and to never apologize for who I am. That I shouldn't be ashamed of myself no matter what."

Twilight smiled. "That's so sweet, Rainbow."

"Shut it." Rainbow grumbled.

Twilight and Fluttershy giggled. "Aww, come on Rainbow, nopony thinks any less of you because you care about your friends." Twilight said.

"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow waved a hoof. "Anyway, so like I was say woah!"

Fluttershy interrupted Rainbow again, this time by pulling her into a hug. Rainbow sighed and hugged her back while Twilight smiled from the couch. "I don't know what I'd do without you girls. I can't believe I was so afraid of talking to you about this."

"So what do you say, think you'd maybe want to tell everypony else?" Rainbow asked. "Not, pushing, just asking."

"I don't know… that's, uhm…" She thought of what everypony might say.

' _Fluttershy, she's a mare. That's just crazy!'_

' _That just ain't natural, I bet ya just need to find the right stallion.'_

' _I'm sorry darling, but I hardly think it's appropriate for a lady to feel that way.'_

Fluttershy shook her head. "I… I'm not ready yet."

"It's okay, Fluttershy." Twilight said. "Whenever you are ready we'll be there to support you. And in the meantime, I hope you know you can always come to me about anything."

Fluttershy nodded. "Thank you Twilight. I'm just glad I have you two to support me."

They spent the rest of the day just talking. Fluttershy was worried a few more times throughout their visit, but everything was so normal it reassured her that everything was okay. By the time everypony left Fluttershy even began to feel like it might not be such a bad idea to tell everypony after all. But who to tell? She knew Rainbow would tell her she should just tell everypony. _'Maybe I should ask Twilight for advice?'_ She sighed and rejected that idea too. She didn't want to remind Twilight anymore than she had to that she was… _that_ way. Even though they were two of her best friends, she also didn't want to tell Applejack or Pinkie Pie. She knew there was only one pony she wanted to tell, but she would also be the hardest.

Fluttershy decided to go to sleep early and moved to the bedroom. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be sleeping well and didn't want to be exhausted when she went to the spa with Rarity in the morning. If she did tell Rarity she'd have to stop these weekly spa trips. Even if she was as understanding as Rainbow and Twilight there was no way she'd want to keep going with somepony like _her._ No, she couldn't do that. She smiled as she tucked herself into bed. _'I already have such wonderful friends. Why risk losing them? Things really are better this way.'_


	3. Wishful Thinking

The Carousel Boutique displayed a 'sorry, we're closed' sign, which Fluttershy ignored. She was meeting Rarity for their weekly spa day, and after how stressful the past couple days had been she was looking forward to it more than usual.

"Fluttershy, darling, is that you you?" Rarity called from her inspiration room. Even though she knew the unicorn called everypony 'dear' and 'darling' she always loved to hear it said to her. Whenever she imagined what being with her would be like she always called her 'Rarity darling.'

"Yes, it's me." Fluttershy said, walking into the back room. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I suppose so." Rarity said, although she remained staring at a ponyquin. It had several swaths of fabric draped over it, with many more lying near it on the ground. "I was just trying to decide the color scheme for this order I'm working on, but nothing seems quite right."

"Oh, uhm, I don't mind waiting, if you wanted to work on that first." Fluttershy said. "Or we could skip this week if you want."

Rarity turned to her and smiled radiantly. Something about that smile always made Fluttershy feel so welcome, as if the fashionista wanted nothing more than to spend time with her. "Nonsense, I wouldn't dream of cancelling. Besides I think some time away from the problem might be just what I need to get a fresh perspective."

Fluttershy usually fell in pace behind her friends while walking with them, but Rarity kept by her side as they made their way to the spa. It was another thing Fluttershy loved about her.

"So tell me darling, is anything new happening with you?"

Fluttershy smiled. _'More so than I'd like.'_ But of course she couldn't tell Rarity about any of that. "No, everything's been peaceful. How have you been?"

"Oh I wish I could say the same. I've been simply exhausted with work. I've been trying to get a headstart on my new fall line, but Hoity Toity just placed a huge order which of course he needs straight away. Not that I'm complaining, it is of course excellent for business."

"Uhm, you know, I'm always happy to lend you a hoof, if, uhm, you wanted." Fluttershy said. Happy was an understatement. She'd love nothing more than to have an excuse to spend more time with Rarity, and helping her create something so beautiful was even better. She could imagine hours spent together, creating the perfect dress. Maybe when it was finished Rarity would even ask her to model it. She'd be shy about it, but for Rarity she'd do it. They'd work until the sun came up before either of them noticed and she'd be so tired she'd just sleep over…

"Thank you for the offer darling, but I think I shall manage." Rarity said. Fluttershy smiled despite the poor turn of events. _'Probably better this way. If I spend too much time with her I might slip up.'_

They mostly talked about Rarity's work on the way to the spa. Fluttershy didn't keep up with fashion trends, but she had always loved the crafting part of dress making, so she enjoyed talking about it. When they arrived Rarity ordered their usual treatment, so they began with a sauna.

It wasn't that what Rarity was talking about was boring. She was explaining what she was working on and Hoity Toity's expectations for it. Fluttershy wanted to listen to her friend and be ready with any suggestions or support she could offer. But as she was talking one strand of hair had fallen out of Rarity's towel and it was very distracting. Something about the single strand of the usually flawless mane flowing down the side of the mare's face kept catching Fluttershy's eye. _'She even sweats pretty.'_

"What do you think darling?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy hadn't heard what she was supposed to be answering but Rarity was smiling expectantly. "Uhm… sorry, what was that last part?"

"The accents. What color do you think they should be?" If Rarity noticed something was amiss she didn't say so.

"Oh, uhm…" Fluttershy couldn't remember what color the rest of the gown was. She tried to think, surely she had heard it, but she couldn't focus. She was lost looking into those blue eyes, with that one curl on the side of her face. "Purple?"

"Hmm, really?" Rarity asked. Fluttershy instinctively tried to hide in her mane, which unlike Rarity's just clumped in a mess on her face. "Well, I suppose it would be quite bold to say the least."

Fluttershy let out a small sigh of contentment. Her answer had apparently sufficed, because the unicorn was talking about something else. After a moment, though, she stopped.

"Are you alright?" She looked at Fluttershy with concern.

"I'm fine, why do you aske?" Fluttershy smiled but inside she panicked. Had Rarity picked up on something? She'd noticed Fluttershy staring… Why did she have to be so lecherous?

"Perhaps it would be best to cut the sauna short today. You're looking a little flushed and I'd hate for you to over do it."

"Uhm…" Fluttershy glanced at the strand of mane again. "I think that's probably a good idea. If you don't mind that is."

"Of course, dear." Rarity stood up. She must have been really concerned because she offered Fluttershy a hoof in getting up. Although she didn't need it she took it and blushed even more, which only made Rarity look even more concerned.

' _What's wrong with me? Why am I acting like this all of a sudden?'_ Fluttershy wondered. She'd been in love with Rarity for ages, and had long since gotten use to hiding these feelings. Why was it suddenly so difficult?

"Done already? Did you want to move on to your facials?" Aloe asked.

"In a moment dear, first could I trouble you for a glass of water? I'm afraid we may have overdone it in the sauna today." rarity said. With a nod Aloe was off while Rarity escorted Fluttershy to a seat.

"Thank you, Rarity, but I'm fine really." Fluttershy said.

"Well then, just take it easy for my peace of mind." Rarity insisted.

Aloe returned with the water which Fluttershy drank slowly. There was no way she could explain what was really going on in her mind, so she decided to just play along. "Thank you. I think I'm feeling better now."

Facials went by without incident. While Rarity would always be beautiful, having a thick layer of green paste cover that beauty certainly made it easier to ignore. Besides, Rarity had cucumbers covering her eyes. She left the cucumbers on afterwords, which helped during the message as Fluttershy kept smiling at Rarity's adorable attempts to maintain her ladylike composure moaning in pleasure from Lotus Blossom's skilled hooves. Still, the message wasn't so bad because Fluttershy's own message was enough of a distraction. The mud baths, however, were a different story.

Rarity's face had been cleaned off, returning her dazzling looks. Even if she did have cucumbers covering her eyes and was submerged below the neck in mud, Fluttershy couldn't help but use Rarity's blindness to her advantage as she constantly admired the unicorn. _'Stop it, what would she think if she knew I was staring at her?'_ Fluttershy reminded herself as she sank a little further into the mud bath. _'She's not like that. Not like me.'_

Fluttershy made a point of not looking at the unicorn during their hooficure now that Rarity could see her. She just hoped that nothing happened to make her blush again.

"Wouldn't you agree?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, uhm, yes." Fluttershy said, grinning even though she had no idea what she was agreeing to.

Rarity furrowed her brow. "Fluttershy dear, are you still not feeling well?" Rarity asked. "You seem a little under the weather today."

"No, I'm fine." Fluttershy said and regretted it. Rarity was offering the perfect explanation for her behavior and she was denying it.

"Is there something on your mind then?" Rarity asked.

' _If you only knew.'_ "No, I just, uhm…"

"I certainly hope it's nothing I did that's troubling you?"

Fluttershy shook her head. She wasn't going to let Rarity blame herself for something that was her own fault. "I guess I am feeling a little under the weather." Although she felt a little guilty for lying she knew it was really the safest thing to do.

"I thought as much. You really should speak your mind more, I feel just awful for dragging you here when you're clearly not up to it."

"No, I wanted to come. I wanted…" _'...to be with you.'_ she finished in her head. "To spend the day relaxing."

"While I can certainly understand that, I think we'd best get you home." Rarity said. As much as Fluttershy didn't want the day to end she followed Rarity to the front where the generous mare insisted on paying for both of them since Fluttershy was feeling ill, which made her feel even worse.

As they stepped outside Fluttershy lifted a hoof to block the sun from her eyes and was surprised to find Rarity pressed against her.

"Can you walk on your own, or would you like me to help support you?" Rarity asked.

"Uhm, I'm fine." Fluttershy said. She couldn't take advantage of her friend's hospitality like that. Although she couldn't deny how much she enjoyed Rarity's body pressed against hers… "Although I do feel a little dizzy." She cast her eyes down as she said it, ashamed for her lie. She was horrible. Rarity was concerned for her well being and she was manipulating that.

"You poor thing. Here, just lean on me and I'll take you home." Rarity said, walking slowly towards Fluttershy's cottage.

' _I can't do this to her. I need to tell her, then she can decide if she wants to be my friend or not. Oh, who am I kidding? I let myself get spoiled by Dash and Twilight accepting me. That's why I can't stop thinking about her today. But it's different, I'm not in love with either of them. Rarity will never want to be my friend if she knows the truth.'_ Fluttershy had never been so torn in her emotions. She hated herself for allowing Rarity to be so close to her, but she couldn't do anything to distance herself from the other mare. She didn't want to do anything. She never wanted this walk to end. She kept her pace slow, pretending it was because she felt uneasy, but really she just wanted to put off when they'd inevitably had to separate.

Eventually they did reach Fluttershy's house, and all too soon. Rarity opened the door with her magic and led Fluttershy inside. "Well here we are darling. Would you like me to help you to your bed?"

"No, here is fine." Fluttershy said. Rarity helped her to the couch, and as she stepped away Fluttershy made up her mind that having Rarity close enough to feel her breathing was worth a guilty concious any day.

"Are you hungry? Perhaps I could make you something." Rarity offered.

Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm fine Rarity. You've done so much already."

"Nonsense. You really need to keep your strength up, dear." Rarity shook her head. "At least let me get you something to drink."

Before Fluttershy could say anything Rarity was already in the kitchen. _'Why is she so nice? It's bad enough she's the most beautiful mare I've ever seen. Maybe… maybe she's always so nice because… No, I can't think about her like that, she would never be interested in mares, she's better than that. She's so perfect and I'm just a… just a…"_

"Fluttershy, you're crying." Fluttershy looked up to see Rarity set a glass of water on the table and take a seat next to her. She tried to pull away from the snow white hoof, but Rarity pulled her close anyway. "What ever is the matter, dear?"

Fluttershy sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Why are you always so nice to me?" she asked.

Rarity frowned. "Because you're my friend, of course."

Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm… I…" she tried to look into Rarity's eyes but couldn't and buried her face in her hooves instead. "I love you."

"Come again darling? It sounded almost like you said-"

"I love you." Fluttershy cringed as she repeated herself then sat straight up. Her vision was blurry but she could still see the surprise on Rarity's face. "I… I've been in love with you for years. I'm so sorry, I just…"

She shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the look of disgust on Rarity's face. First Rarity would yell at her for hiding it so long, then she might slap her for the walk home, the she'd be running out the door, leaving Fluttershy alone with her tears.

Instead of doing any of that Rarity pulled her back into the hug.

"Oh Fluttershy, I had no idea." She let go of the pegasus but held onto her hooves. "And I'm flattered, really, but I just, well…"

"You don't feel the same way." Fluttershy cast her eyes down.

"It's nothing personal, darling. Anypony should consider themselves lucky to have a mare half as great as you! But it's just, well, I'm not attracted to mares."

"Oh. Right, of course. I… I mean, I knew but… Well, I just wanted you to know." Fluttershy said. She smiled but inside she just wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. She had ruined everything.

Rarity chuckled. "So then can I presume you weren't ill at all today?"

Fluttershy blushed. Rarity didn't sound angry but once she realized how much Fluttershy had taken advantage of her good will… "I'm sorry."

Please, there's no need to apologize. But I am still worried about you, and if you won't let me cook for you then let me buy you dinner." Rarity said.

"But I'm… why would you want to go to dinner with me?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well I certainly hope you still want to be friends." Rarity said.

"Of course!" Fluttershy answered abruptly, causing Rarity to giggle and Fluttershy to blush. "Uhm, I mean, if you're not, uhm, uncomfortable around me…"

Rarity gave her a stern look. "Fluttershy. You are one of the best friends I've ever had. I'll never allow anything to come between our friendship, and I never want to hear anything about me feeling uncomfortable around you. It is simply not the case." Fluttershy nodded and Rarity smiled again. "Good. Then we're going out to dinner. And don't give me that look, my mind is already made up."

Fluttershy followed Rarity back into town. Oddly enough even though Rarity now knew a secret she'd thought she'd never share she felt like everything was back to normal. Sure she'd never feel the same way back, but what did it matter? First Rainbow, then Twilight and Spike, now Rarity. One by one her friends were finding out about her and nopony was treating her any different than before. She really did have the best friends anypony could ask for.

* * *

Rarity was such a great friend. All through dinner she had smiled and laughed, she was even just as affectionate as always. Not once did she let slip how disgusted she was. Of course she was disgusted with her, how could she not be? Fluttershy had assumed somepony like Rarity, somepony so good, could have feelings for another mare. She thought they could be happy together? She didn't deserve to be happy.

Fluttershy was in bed. She had spent hours crying into her pillow. Angel had done his best to comfort her, but at some point the little bunny had fallen asleep, leaving her to just stare at the ceiling. She bucked up. Everything would be different now. No matter how much Rarity hid it she would always think of Fluttershy differently. She could already imagine it. _'Oh, Fluttershy. I think we should cancel our spa trip this week. Or rather, I don't think we should plan on going together at all anymore. I just hardly think it's appropriate, given the circumstances. You understand, I'm sure?'_

She got up and walked to the closet. She opened the door and stared at all the outfits Rarity had made her over the years. Fluttershy still had every one. From the simple white sun dress Rarity had made her the first time they met, which she had grown out of years ago, to the dangerous mission outfit she had made when Trixie had taken over Ponyville, even though it was practically torn to shreds. Rarity had put her heart into every one of them, and Fluttershy wondered if she'd ever make another outfit for her again. She sighed and sat on the floor, surrounded by the reminders of the friendship she ruined.


	4. Pen Pals

It had been some time since the sun went down. The only light came from the soft glow of moonlight through the window and a single flickering candle on the desk. The candle cast long dancing shadows over everything, from the overflowing trash can, to the empty bed, to the purple alicorn scrunched over a sheet of paper.

Twilight reread the letter she had written. There was nothing wrong with it. It stated in plain terms what she wanted it to, avoiding sensationalism but still giving all the important details. It was the perfect letter for the matter at hoof. She balled it up and threw it towards the trash, where it bounced off and landed into the pile of other balled letters on the floor. She let her face fall to the desk. "Why is this so hard?" She grumbled to herself.

There was a slight vibration on the desk. Twilight frowned. She hadn't expected to hear from Sunset again tonight, it wasn't a good sign. She opened the journal in time to see the final words appearing.

'I just can't catch a break. And she seemed so nice too! Another wasted night on a bad date.'

That's what Twilight was afraid of. Grabbing her quill, she hoped she could catch Sunset before she was too far from the book, so she could help her friend sort through her problems, and in no way because she was avoiding writing a certain letter.

'I'm sorry it didn't go well. Do you want to talk about it?'

It was only a moment before a reply came. 'Twilight? What are you still doing up? Probably researching something knowing you. It's already one in the morning in case you didn't realize.'

Twilight rolled her eyes. 'I've only done that once.'

'I find that a little hard to believe.'

'Okay, maybe a few more than that.' Really Twilight couldn't say how many times she'd done that over the years, but Sunset didn't need to know that. 'The point is I know what time it is, and I'd like to hear about your date if you want to tell me about it.'

'If you say so. Anyway, the night started out great. We caught a movie and went out for dinner afterwards. It was a pretty standard first date, but she was charming, nice, funny, and best of all she really seemed understanding about the whole Fall Formal incident. But then I let it slip that I live alone and she started implying things. Once I made it clear I had no intention of taking her home to bed she just totally changed her tone. Fifteen minutes later she's already out the door and I'm stuck picking up the bill. I don't think I'll be able to date a girl who cares about more than getting me naked until college.'

'I'm sorry it didn't go well. You'd think they'd get the hint eventually.'

'That's what I thought at first, but now I think that's part of the problem. Everyone sees me going on dates with all these different girls and they probably assume they're all just random hook ups. I think all the good girls are scared of the bad girl past, and everyone else just wants sex. I shouldn't even give them a chance anymore, I'm just encouraging them.'

'I hate to say it but you're probably right. Still, don't give up completely. I'd hate to see you let someone slip by that might be good for you.'

'I'm fine, Twi. It's not like anyone else has asked me out or anything. Besides, graduation is right around the corner. I'll just spend this time with my friends and worry about romance once CHS is behind me. Anyway, how are things on your end?'

'I've been thinking a lot lately. I'm starting to think you might be right.'

'Of course I am! What am I right about though?'

Twilight chuckled. 'About telling other ponies. Actually, the whole reason I'm up is because was actually taking your advice and finally writing that letter to Cadance. But no matter what I write it just seems wrong.'

'You're probably just overthinking it. Here, write to me like I'm Cadance.'

'Really?'

'Yes! Come on, I know it's silly, but just give it a shot. What's the worst that can happen? I already know what your 'deep dark secret' is.'

'But the journal just sends whatever I write, I can't edit it!'

'Yeah, that's the point. Don't tell me you're embarrassed? Come on, Twi, you don't have to worry about me, I just want to help.'

Twilight sighed. The whole thing was ridiculous. But Sunset was playing her cards right, Twilight couldn't turn down a friend who was genuinely trying her best to help. She suspected Sunset knew this by now and was intentionally exploiting her weakness, but it didn't matter. She shook her head and wrote her letter to 'Cadance.'

'Dear Cadance,

I hope this letter finds you well, and things in the Crystal Empire are running smoothly.

I'm writing to ask for your advice on something, but difficult for me to talk about it. For some time now had feelings for a friend of mine. I'm sure this would be confusing enough, but the thing is that this friend is another mare. I know I should have told you this years ago, but I'm a lesbian. I've come to terms with how I feel years ago. To be honest accepting myself wasn't actually a problem for me, but telling other ponies is terrifying. My friend doesn't know how I feel, or even that I like mares. When I first came to Ponyville I was still figuring things out. Then I didn't want to tell anypony because I didn't know what they'd think of me and I didn't want to lose the best friends I ever made, not to mention what it could mean for Equestria if the Elements of Harmony stopped being friends! I've had crushes on other mares before, and figured just like every other time it would pass, but it hasn't. I care about her more and more as time goes on, and lately she's all I can think about. Eventually I realized our bond was strong enough that whether she felt the same way or not she'd still want to be friends, and I made up my mind to tell her. But then while I was building courage I became a princess, which made everything so much harder. Now I have to worry about what everypony will think. Will Equestria still accept me? Will they still respect me as their Princess of Friendship if I have a marefriend? And that's all only if she says 'yes' in the first place! She was recently turned down by the mare she has a crush on, and I don't want her to think I'm trying to take advantage of that. But how long are you supposed to wait for this sort of thing?

I wish I talked to you about this years ago, before I became a princess. It seems like it would've been so much easier back then. I don't understand why I waited so long to come to you about this. I don't understand why it's so hard to talk to ponies I know will still care about me. You're technically the first pony in Equestria I've told, but I've talked to my friend Sunset Shimmer about any of this. I don't know what I'd do without her, she's been so helpful in helping me figure everything out. She was the one who finally convinced me to write to you. As terrified as I am of sending this letter I'm also excited. It'll be nice not having to keep this secret from at least one pony, and I'm sure you'll know what I should do. I can hardly wait for your response.

Sincerely,

Twilight Sparkle'

Twilight set her quill down and sighed. She couldn't place why but it still didn't seem quite right.

'Hold on, Fluttershy likes mares? You never told me that!'

Twilight blushed and picked up the quill again. 'Uhm… whoops. I must be more tired than I thought... I kinda forgot I was really writing to you.'

'Oh, so you weren't just adding that part about me for my benefit then?'

'You know what? Let's just forget that this ever happened.'

'I'm just teasing, I'm happy I've been able to help you. I owe you so much for everything you've done, it's nice to know I can pay you back, at least a little. And I won't say anything to Fluttershy. We don't even know if the whole double thing works like that anyway. Although come to think about it, maybe you were right about not giving up on love so easily. I can see why you like her so much, maybe I should talk to her myself and see if I can find out if this Fluttershy's gay too.'

There was a long pause from Twilight's end.

'I was just joking! She's really not my type, and I know it'd be pretty weird for me to date your marefriend's double.'

'She's not my marefriend.'

'Not yet anyway. But seriously, that letter was perfect. Just copy that and you'll be good to go.'

'Alright. Thank you Sunset. I really did mean what I said, by the way, and as far as I'm concerned with how much you've been supporting me lately I think we're even now. And sorry for talking so much about my problems, I'm still up for hearing about your date, or anything else on your mind.'

'Oh no, you're not dodging this anymore. Go write your letter, I'm fine. I don't really want to talk about it anymore anyway. I actually feel a lot better just talking to you. Besides, it's getting late and I have work tomorrow. You should get some rest too, after you write that letter.'

'You're right. Again. Good night, Sunset.'

'Good night, Twi.'

Twilight pulled out a fresh sheet of paper. Writing the letter felt easier this time. She felt calmer. When she was done she read it back. _'Hmm… maybe just one more rewrite.'_

The book vibrated again. Twilight read the note, rolled her eyes, and sealed the letter in an envelope.

'P.S. Don't throw it out!'

* * *

The following week was torturous. What if the letter fell into the wrong hoofs? Her life could be destroyed! Maybe she shouldn't have signed her name? She could probably have let Cadance know who was writing without explicitly stating who she was. Now everypony would find out and it would cause this huge scandal, she just knew it. That knocking on the door was probably an angry mob to run her out of Ponyville. Do angry mobs knock? Probably not. But sneaky angry mobs?

Nevertheless she asked Spike to get the door. There was only one pony there, a gray pegasus in a blue uniform. "Special delivery for Princess Twilight Sparkle! Straight from the Crystal Empire, first class."

Spike reached for the letter but Twilight had already grabbed it with her magic. "Thank you Derpy!" Twilight called as she raced to her room, practically slamming the door, and tearing open the envelope.

[quote] 'Dear Twilight,

I'm so happy you finally decided to tell me this. And while I do wish you had told me sooner, what's important is that you have now. And as usual you're worried about things that you shouldn't be. While I doubt that public reaction to you coming out would be as bad as you think, that bridge can be crossed later. You have to realize that it's not just black and white, in and out. You can come out to ponies you trust first and then when you feel it's time you can tell everypony else. Start with your friends and family. I won't mention anything to Shiny until you're ready, but I promise you he'll give you his full support as well. I'm sure you know, but the same goes for your parents. But before that how about you start with somepony closer to home? I'm surprised you haven't told Spike yet. You may think he's too young to understand, but I think he might surprise you. Having a safe home where everypony around you accepts you and you don't have to hide anything can make a world of difference.

Now, as far as what to do about your friend. The best thing to do is to just talk to her. Explain your feelings. Understand that she might need time, and that's not the same as rejection. Everypony is different, and if she's just been rejected by somepony else she may need time to herself to get past it, or she may already be ready to move on. You can't assume you know what she wants to do, the only way to know is to talk to her and let her make the decision herself. You already said you don't think your friendship is in danger, so what do you have to lose? If nothing else you'll feel better when you're not hiding things from the ponies you care about, and If you continue to not say anything there can only be one outcome.

I know you can handle this. You're one of the strongest mares I've ever known. Just remember to take everything one step at a time, and don't get blinded by the big picture. If there's anything at all I can do you know you should never hesitate to ask, and please keep me posted on what happens.

All my love,

Cadance.

P.S. Is it Rainbow Dash? You two would be so cute together![/quote]

Twilight set the letter down. She smiled as she wiped tears from her eyes. She was accepted. She had finally told another pony and she was still loved. It had been easy to tell Sunset. Well, relatively speaking. Actually, Sunset had come out to Twilight first, and in a combination of bravery inspired by Sunset's announcement and early morning sleep deprived honesty Twilight confessed as well. Then she tore out the page. Turns out it didn't matter, the message still sent, and all that was accomplished was Twilight feeling guilty for defiling a book.

She knew Cadance was right about coming out to select ponies, and taking things one step at a time. Twilight was good at that. And at organizing those steps. She already had her quill and paper ready to write a checklist.

 _1\. Talk to Spike._ She had been reluctant to tell Spike because she was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep a secret, but she realized that lately he was more mature than she gave him credit for. And Cadance was right, she really did want to not have to worry about hiding things at home.

She thought about the next step. At first she thought it would be best to invite all her closest friends over to tell them all at once. That's what Sunset had done and it worked well for her, after all. But while in some ways it seemed easier, she just knew as soon as Rarity knew she liked mares the next question would be if there were anypony in particular she was interested in. She'd either have lie to her friends or be forced into admitting her feelings for Fluttershy to everypony. Too much all at once, besides she wanted to tell Fluttershy privately. Not to mention the idea of telling Fluttershy, even if she left out the crush, made her chest tighten. No, she'd do it individually or at least in smaller groups.

So then who second? She wanted to talk to somepony who could give her some more advice. Cadance was great, but her friends simply knew Fluttershy better. Rarity and Rainbow already knew Fluttershy liked mares, which made them the obvious choices. Rainbow would probably tell her to just go for it and damn the consequence, which wasn't really as encouraging as she seemed to think it was. And after Cadance Rarity would normally be Twilight's choice for romantic advice, but she was probably too close to the situation, and Twilight didn't want to make things awkward. So that left Applejack and Pinkie Pie. She knew Pinkie would be happy to help, but Twilight doubted she'd have much knowledge to go on. She'd probably just want to throw a big party, and that was the last thing Twilight needed. AJ on the other hoof was perfect. Her down to earth advice and grounded nature would be exactly what Twilight needed. _2\. Talk to Applejack._

 _3\. Talk to Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie in no particular order._ Even if not for advice she'd still want their support. She could decide how much she wanted to tell them when that time came.

 _4\. Talk to Fluttershy._ Even thinking of it made Twilight nervous. She forced a deep breath and reminded herself to take it a step at a time. Talking to Fluttershy was four steps away. If she wrote all her friends separately it'd be six steps away. _'Maybe I should rewrite the list…'_

"Twilight?" Spike said, knocking on the door. "Is everything okay? You kinda freaked out back there."

Better to just get started. Twilight smiled and pulled open the door. "Yes Spike, everything's fine. Can you come in? There's something I want to talk to you about."


	5. Unexpected Rsults

Twilight kept her head held high on the way to Sweet Apple Acres. She walked at a brisk pace, because if she didn't she was liable to turn back around, but she needed to do this. She knew Cadance's advice was good, but it never hurt to have a second opinion. Sunset may have had more dates than Twilight, but they had all gone badly, and Spike had given her the unconditional love and acceptance he always did, but obviously she wasn't about to go to him for relationship advice unless she decided the best way to win over Fluttershy was to follow her around like a lost puppy. So, she needed Applejack's advice. In truth she was scared, but she told herself everything would be fine. So far nopony cared, and Applejack was her friend, not to mention one of the most supportive ponies she knew. Logically speaking there was nothing to worry about, and what was she if not a pony driven by logic? So she kept on, forcing herself to keep moving forward and to not dwell on how this could go wrong. Better yet, don't think of anything. So she cleared her mind as best she could of all her troubles and focused on the rhythmic sound of her hooves against the packed dirt.

Before she knew it she was approaching the farm house. She had expected to find Applejack working on something around the farm, but instead she was standing back watching in amusement as a Pinkie dashed around the barn, displaying a level of hyperactivity only she could possess. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves Twilight approached her friend. _'Well, I guess it'll be two with one stone.'_

"Good morning, Applejack. What's going on here?"

"Hey there Twi. I told Pinkie she could throw Cheerilee's party here and she said she needed to plan the decorations. Don't rightly know why though, it's not like she ain't thrown half a dozen parties here already. I'll never understand that one." Applejack smiled, clearly enjoying watching the pink blur.

"That's Pinkie alright."

"Well of course it's me!" Twilight jumped back. She could have sworn Pinkie was across the yard a second ago, but here she was standing right next to them. If the pink pony noticed Twilight's shock she didn't show it. "I mean, I've known Applejack a long time, Twilight. I'm pretty sure you don't have to tell her who I am."

Twilight laughed "I'll keep that in mind."

"So is this a social visit, or is there something I can do for ya?" Applejack asked.

"Well, actually there is something I wanted to talk to you about." Twilight said. She cast her glance down. Was it too late to turn back? She wasn't sure she still wanted to do this.

"What's eatin' at ya, sugarcube?" Applejack wrapped a foreleg around Twilight's shoulders. Twilight looked at her friends, Applejack was frowning slightly in concern, while Pinkie smiled encouragingly. She was being ridiculous. She could trust her friends.

"Well, the thing is, there's somepony that I've had bit of a crush on for a while." She blushed and brushed her mane back. "Well, more than a bit, actually."

Applejack broke into a grin. "Aw shucks, you had me worried there for a second. Relationships ain't so hard, Twi. Knowing you ya probably haven't talked to him 'bout it, but really that's all there is to it. So, who is the lucky stallion?"

Of course Applejack would think it was a stallion. Why wouldn't she? Twilight _had_ been doing her best to keep it secret for years. Still, Twilight winced at how naturally the assumption came.

Meanwhile Pinkie's smile was so big her face was scrunched up. She nodded and inclined her head slightly towards Twilight.

"Well, the thing is…" Twilight bit her lip, willing herself to finish the sentence.

"Shucks Twi, ya don't got to tell us. Wasn't tryin' to be nosey." Applejack said.

Pinkie threw her foreleg around Twilight's other shoulder so she was in the middle of a group hug. "Aww, it's okay Twilight. You just got to talk to them, everything will work out."

"It's not that easy." Twilight said.

"You're making a mountain out of a molehill." Applejack said, shrugging as she broke away from the others. "Okay, so you don't want to say who it is. Fair enough, but can you tell us a little about him? Maybe we can help ya out."

Him. Another reminder. Twilight was sure she was reading too much into it. A few days ago she would have been upset if Applejack _hadn't_ assumed it was a stallion. But every passive reminder that she was expected to date a stallion was changing her mind more and more.

"Well, uhm…" Twilight took a deep breath. She was doing this one way or another. She _would_ tell Fluttershy how she felt.

"Hmm… I bet the pony Twilight would love would be really sensitive. Somepony kind." Pinkie said. "I bet it's somepony who appreciates nature. Sort of quiet, and you know, shy." Was Twilight imagining it, or did Pinkie wink on that last word?

"Well… yes." Twilight said. She stared at the pink pony, then shook her head. _'Come on, this is just Pinkie being Pinkie. There's no way she knows.'_

Applejack's eyes went wide as she realized something, and her smile turned into a grin which turned into a laugh. Twilight smiled nervously while she waited for Applejack to compose herself. "So ya don't want to tell us who it is, which means it's probably somepony we know. I get that much about right?"

"Well, yes. You do." Twilight said.

"And then everything Pinkie just said." Applejack shook her head and looked like she might burst out laughing again at any moment. "Twilight, be honest with me. Is it Big Mac?"

"What? No, it's not Big Mac." Twilight shook her head.

"Really? 'Cause Pinkie pretty much just described Big Mac." Applejack said. "If you're worried about me, then you should know better than that. I don't have any problems with you dating my brother, shoot I'd love to have you as part of the Apple clan!"

"That's, uh, good to know Applejack, but it's really not Big Mac." Twilight said. Applejack looked a little disappointed. Pinkie seemed amused by the misunderstanding.

"That boy's never gonna get a marefriend." Applejack muttered to herself. She shook her head. "Well, anyway, I suppose I can see why you're having trouble. If he's half as shy as Big Mac that could make talking a bit difficult."

"That's not really the problem." Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head. "The problem is, well… it's not a stallion."

When she opened her eyes Applejack's head was tilted in confusion, while Pinkie just grabbed Twilight in another hug, tighter than the last. "Silly Twilight, that's not a problem."

"I'm, uh, not sure I follow." Applejack said.

Twilight had already committed by now, she might as well clear the confusion. "Applejack, Pinkie Pie… I'm a lesbian. The pony I have a crush on is, well, a mare."

Applejack arched an eyebrow. "A mare?"

"Good for you Twilight!" Pinkie said. "But that's no reason not to talk to her about it!"

"But what am I supposed to say?" Twilight asked. She looked to Applejack but the farm pony seemed to still be processing. _'I didn't think I hid it that well.'_

"Well, do you know if she likes mares?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah, but only couple weeks ago she was rejected by the mare she has feelings for. I want to tell her but I don't know if I should. I mean, she obviously doesn't feel the same way about me."

Pinkie laughed. "Twilight, you can like more than one pony you know."

"I don't really think she's like that. And besides, I don't want her to think I'm just trying to get her on the rebound."

"Aw, she won't think that. She's your friend, she knows that you'd never do anything like that!"

"Pinkie, I haven't even told you who it is." Twilight said.

"Oh Twilight." Pinkie smiled and shook her head. "So predictable."

Twilight frowned. She was never going to understand Pinkie. She turned instead to Applejack. "What do you think?"

"Hmm? Oh, I don't know Twi. I don't reckon I'd know much 'bout that type of thing." Applejack looked off to the side.

"Well, what would you do if you were in my place?" Twilight asked. "Cadance said I should tell her anyway, but I'm not really sure."

"I reckon Cadance knows what she's talking about." Applejack said, fidgeting with her hat.

"If the princess of love tells you to talk to somepony I think you should do it Twilight." Pinkie said, deathly serious all of a sudden. "If you don't do what she says she might throw you in her love dungeon, and I don't think Shining Armor would be too happy about that!"

Twilight facehoofed. She wondered if Pinkie even realized everything wrong with that sentence. Choosing not to dwell on it Twilight turned back to Applejack. She realized she never should have mentioned anything about Rarity. She couldn't tell them it was Fluttershy now, it wouldn't be right for Twilight to let them know she was gay. "I guess if it was me I'd like to know." she said. "It's only fair I let her decide for herself."

"Well, sounds like ya got everything figured out then." Applejack said. "I guess I'll leave you to it, I got a heap of chores to do."

Twilight's ears fell. "Is… something wrong?"

"Course not, I just figure all that's left to do is for you to talk to her." Applejack's smile was unconvincing, and it faltered a bit when she said 'her.'

Twilight couldn't believe it. Applejack was the most dependable pony she knew, there was no way she wouldn't stand by Twilight now. "Does it... bother you that I like mares?"

Applejack hesitated a moment before answering. She wouldn't meet Twilight's eyes as she spoke. "Well, I suppose you're still the same Twilight as always."

Twilight shook her head. "That doesn't answer my question though. You were happy to help when you thought it was a stallion, but once I said it's a mare you began acting different. Just tell me, what do you really think?"

"I, uh, reckon it's none of my business, really." Applejack took a step towards her orchard, away from Twilight.

"Of course it's your business! We're friends, and the pony I love is kind of a big deal to me." Twilight took a step closer to the fidgeting pony.

"Look, Twi, don't get it the wrong way. Of course we're friends and of course I want you to be happy. But this whole thing is just, well... You can do whatever you want, but I don't see what I can do for you."

This couldn't be happening. She had thought she was prepared for this, she was always acutely aware how badly ponies could react, but Applejack had always stood by her. Didn't she realize how important this was? "So, what then? If I do talk to her and things go well, what am I supposed to do, pretend this isn't a thing whenever I'm around you? I'm not talking about some one night stand, I think... I think I might be in love with her. She could be my marefriend. How is that not something you care about?"

"I never said I don't care about it, I just, well, I'm not sure what you want me to say, Twi." Applejack idly kicked at the ground.

Twilight just stared at Applejack, unable to say anything. Even when a pair hooves wrapped around her she barely found the will to turn away. Pinkie's mane had deflated somewhat and her ears were folded down. Even though she hardly felt like it she smiled for her friend. "Thank you Pinkie. I think... I'd like to head home now."

Pinkie looked like she was going to argue, but eventually just sighed and let go of her. "Okay Twilight."

Twilight took a few steps away and looked back. Pinkie waved sadly while Applejack didn't acknowledge her leaving at all. Turning away, she launched herself into the air where the earth ponies couldn't follow her. As she flew she couldn't stop thinking about the ponies she left behind and what would happen now. Pinkie had looked so distraught, but at least she seemed okay with everything. Applejack... She wasn't sure what would happen with Applejack. Negative thoughts clouding her judgement she recklessly ignored her surroundings as she flew.

She barely felt anything when she crashed into a cloud. But as she came out the other side she spiraled to the ground, which was much less pliable. Panicking she forgot to use her wings and flailed her hooves around wildly as she quickly fell towards the ground. She closed her eyes and her mind went blank, the next thing she was aware of was a crash, except it was from the wrong side. When she opened her eyes she was still falling, but much slower and at an angle. She still hit the ground hard but she was able to roll with it instead of crashing headfirst, reducing the damage.

Initially she just laid on the ground, reveling the solid earth despite her whole body being in pain. "What the buck was that about?" Opening her eyes Twilight saw Rainbow Dash. She was clearly roughed up but was already pushing herself into a sitting position. Either she hit the ground softer than Twilight or the athletic pegasus was simply more used to crash landings.

"I wasn't looking where I was going. I hit a cloud and spun out of control." She forced herself to sit up and did a quick survey of her limbs. Nothing seemed to be broken. She couldn't believe her stupidity. She could have saved herself with either her wings or her magic. Now her friend was probably hurt too. "Are you okay?"

Rainbow raised an eye skeptically and ignored her question. "So you just decided to try stunt flying, huh?"

Twilight was torn. Part of her wanted to tell Rainbow what happened, but she didn't want to cause problems between Rainbow and Applejack, remembering how Rainbow had acted when she thought Twilight didn't accept Fluttershy. "I was just practicing. Guess I'm still not very good at flying yet."

"Nope. Not buying it. Either tell me why I had to save you from a free fall or at least come up with a better excuse than that." Rainbow said, an agitated expression on her face.

Twilight gingerly stretched her neck, which hurt quite a bit. "I'm fine, really. Thank you, by the way."

Rainbow sighed. "Look, I get that you don't want to talk about it, and okay, that's your business. But then you're gonna bottle it up, until it's this whole big thing. Eventually you'll tell everyone anyway and we'll all hug and stuff. You'll be all 'I shouldn't have kept secrets and you're the best friends ever' and we'll probably sing a song about it. And that sappy stuff is okay once in a while but we just did all that with Fluttershy. So can we just skip it this time?"

Twilight was annoyed at how accurate that was. "Fine. I was over at Sweet Apple Acres and I… well, I told Applejack I'm a lesbian."

To her surprise Rainbow smirked. "And she probably was dumbfounded and said something stupid. Come on Twilight, Applejack's great and all but do you realize how old-fashioned her family is? How did you think she'd react?"

Twilight threw her hooves into the air, an action she immediately regretted. "So what, I should've just kept hiding it from her?"

"Not what I'm saying. But you should have known she'd need some time."

Twilight rubbed her temple. She wasn't sure if her headache was because the fall or Rainbow's lack of empathy. "Why weren't you this calm when you thought I was the bigot?"

Rainbow's smirk was replaced with a slight glare. "That was different. You made Fluttershy cry. Wait, why didn't you tell us then? It would of meant a lot to her, you know."

Twilight looked away, feeling ashamed. "I know, I should have. But, well, Fluttershy isn't the only pony who's scared to talk about it, you know. Actually, it's because of her that I decided to come out. I think it'll be easier for both of us knowing we're not the only one. I guess I should have picked somepony else to start with though."

Rainbow walked over and sat next to Twilight. "Listen, I'll talk to AJ about it. I know she'll come around, just give it time."

"You'll talk to her? Like you 'talked' to me?" Twilight said, grinning.

"That was _different_."

Twilight just shook her head. All things considered she did feel a little better. "Oh, by the way, Rainbow?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm a lesbian."

Rainbow covered her mouth in mock horror. "What? And you never told me?" She narrowed her eyes. "I don't think I want you around Scootaloo anymore."

Twilight snickered, then they were both laughing. Out of all her friends Twilight would have probably gone to Rainbow last for comfort, but she had to admit she had underestimated her friend.

All of a sudden Rainbow sat straight up. Twilight could practically hear the gears in her head turning. "So Twilight… Fluttershy?"

Twilight was not ready for this talk. Had she guessed? Twilight wasn't prepared to ask Rainbow to keep a secret from Fluttershy, she knew how close they were. "What about her?" Twilight tried to smile as innocently as possible.

"Would you… maybe you could, I don't know, ask her out?"

Well that was unexpected. She didn't know what to say so while her mind tried to catch up she played dumb. "Ask her out, like, on a date?"

Rainbow shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. Look, Fluttershy is great and all but she's kind of…" She moved her hooves around trying and failing to wordlessly say what was on her mind. Twilight just furrowed her brow and watched. "I think she'd be happier with a marefriend, but other ponies would, well… I know you wouldn't push her into doing anything she didn't want to."

Twilight was confused for a moment more before it clicked. "Wait, are you talking about s-"

"Besides!" Rainbow interrupted loudly. "You two could probably spend hours walking through flowers and looking at clouds and stuff. You're perfect for each other." Again, the accuracy was kind of annoying.

"Well, first thing's first, I have to finish coming out to everypony. Then, who knows?" Even if Rainbow did keep her feelings a secret she had a feeling if she actually told her how much she wanted to do just that she wouldn't have a moment's peace until she did. She had to do this in her own time. Still, it was nice to know she had Rainbow's approval. She was the closest thing Fluttershy had to family.

"Yeah, I know. Just… think about it." Without waiting for an answer she flew off towards Sweet Apple Acres, leaving a rainbow stream in her wake.

All that was left then was Rarity. She had seen firsthoof that Rarity wouldn't have a problem with her, so she knew she should have nothing to worry about. But even though she wasn't worried she still wasn't looking forward to it. She was sore, tired, and emotionally drained. _'All the more reason to get this over with.'_ Breathing deep she pulled herself up and grudgingly made her way to the Carousel Boutique.

The entire way she wondered how Rainbow had managed to fly away so soon after their fall. Athlete or not, she had to be just as hurt as Twilight was, and every step for her was a reminder to never take her hooves off the ground. She must look a mess too, judging by the stares she got when she made it into town, but she hardly paid them any attention. _'Just tell Rarity, then I can go home.'_

As soon as she walked into the Carousel Boutique she regretted it. There were several mirrors around the entrance, all of which showed a pony Rarity would be appalled at the state of. The last thing she wanted right now was for the fashionista to make a huge fuss over her.

"Just a moment!" Rarity called from the next room. Twilight took advantage of it and ran a hoof through her mane and tail, trying to her best to make it look presentable, if not exactly good.

"So sorry about that, I was-" Rarity stopped dramatically when she caught sight of Twilight. "Twilight, darling, whatever happened? Are you alright?"

Twilight put on her best reassuring smile, which given her day so far and her reservations about telling Rarity the truth was likely not very reassuring. "Is 'Rainbow Dash' an acceptable answer?"

Rarity scowled at the absent pony. "I swear, that pony…"

Twilight realized she couldn't leave it at that. Rainbow had actually saved her from a much worse injury. "Actually, I wasn't looking where I was going during flight practice and took a fall. Rainbow saw and tried to catch me, but ended up as bad as me. Which, uh, isn't as bad as it looks." She hoped since Rarity hadn't witnessed the accident she'd be more likely to believe the excuse than Rainbow had been.

"Not as bad as it looks? Well, I should hope not. Darling, have you seen a mirror? No, we simply must fix this!"

Rarity was already levitating several beauty appliances towards them. "No, really, I'm fine. I just wanted to tell you something then I'd really like to get home."

Rarity pouted but put everything back to wherever she had pulled them out from. "Well, if you insist. What is it you'd like to talk about?"

' _Okay, let's do this one right.'_ Twilight thought carefully about what to say next. She had to properly word it so Rarity would know it was an important and difficult decision to talk about it, but not make it sound like too big of a deal so she'd know nothing was actually changing. "I'm a lesbian." Or she could just shut down the brain to mouth filter and blurt it out…

Rarity remained composed, but Twilight did notice her eyes widen slightly. "Oh? Well congratulations on deciding to come out with this. Of course I fully support you, and this changes nothing between us, so please don't take this question the wrong way but, well… Is there anything else? That is to say, is there a reason you came here to talk to me? Specifically?"

Twilight blinked and tilted her head to the side wondering what she meant. Wasn't this news big enough? "No, I just… Oh" Twilight couldn't help but smile when she realized what she was trying to say. "No, I'm not here to confess any hidden feelings for you."

Rarity smiled and nodded. "Of course," she said, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be presumptuous. It's just that I had a similar conversation with a friend of mine recently, and I wanted to make sure we were on the same page."

Twilight smiled. "You mean Fluttershy. I already know. I sort of found out by accident. I was surprised when she said she actually told you though." Twilight felt guilty remembering how happy she was to hear Rarity had turned down the pegasus.

"Well that makes things a bit simpler. I just don't want any more awkwardness between our little circle of friends. Not that I find Fluttershy's affections awkward, I really am flattered, but I fear it has been causing her trouble. Do you know I practically had to drag her to our weekly spa day? She seems to think I don't want to be alone with her anymore, which is of course ridiculous."

"I'll talk to her about it. I still haven't come out to her, we'll probably have a lot to talk about, actually."

"Oh, I'm sorry darling, here I am going on, and this is such an important day for you! So, if I may ask, what did make you decide it was time? A certain somepony perhaps?" Rarity grinned expectantly.

Twilight had seen this coming. She had already decided she wouldn't involve Rarity in her romance with Fluttershy, but she supposed simply telling her wouldn't be too bad. After the day's failures she was actually kind of looking forward to telling somepony. "Well, yes, actually."

Rarity clapped her hooves excitedly and practically skipped over to Twilight as she pulled out two chairs. "Ooh! Do tell darling! And while we're talking perhaps you'd allow me to…" She levitated a brush over.

Twilight rolled her eyes, but she realized this was much less than the full makeover the unicorn must want to do. "Fine." She relented.

Rarity began working out the knots in Twilight's mane. "Now, don't spare any of the details."

Something about Rarity's enthusiasm made it hard for Twilight to refuse. She looked at Rarity, who was leaning forward and almost literally on the edge of her seat. "Well…" Twilight looked away, blushing. "It's Fluttershy."

"Fluttershy?" Rarity lit up. "Yes, yes, I see it. Oh, you two would be simply adorable together! And no wonder you've decided to come out now. Oh, I do hope I haven't caused any problems in this… No matter, we shall simply have to come up with a plan for you! Now normally we'd want to go extravagant, all the better to win a fair lady's heart, but I'm afraid dear Fluttershy is too easily overwhelmed." Apparently satisfied with Twilight's mane she put down the brush. In its place she levitated a notepad and quill over and began furiously taking notes. "I believe the proper setting will be the key aspect of your courtship. Something romantic, simple yet elegant, secluded goes without saying. Maybe… oh now there's an idea."

"Rarity, thank you, but please don't worry about it. I'll talk to Fluttershy and tell her…" What would she tell her? After telling all her other friends the idea of coming out to Fluttershy was definitely easier, but asking her out? She had no idea how she could manage.

"Oh nonsense. Nothing could be better than to play a role in two of my closest friends finding happiness in each other. Trust me darling, with the two of us putting our heads together on this dear Fluttershy won't be able to resist you!"

Twilight hesitated. She hadn't wanted to involve Rarity in this, but it was undeniable that the socialite was more knowledgeable on romance than she was. "Alright." Twilight said at last. "What should I do?"

Rarity clapped her hooves and started going over ideas with Twilight, who was giving her full attention. She would learn everything she could in order to win Fluttershy's heart. She was going to make this perfect.

* * *

Author's Note: So these frequent (potentially daily) updates might be temporary. The story's already written (currently it's seventeen chapters and an epilogue) and I'm posting the edited versions here. Editing takes a lot less time than writing and I have a deadline to be finished by the time Friendship Games comes out later this month, so I'm trying to do a chapter a day. However there's a couple places I might write a new chapter or two, so if that happens it'll be like a week or so in between updates.

In any event, I want to thank you for reading! Hope you're enjoying it, and if so consider leaving a review ;p Hell, even if you're not enjoying it consider leaving a review, I have no problem with people telling me they think I suck as long as they can tell me _why_ they think I suck.


	6. Taking Chances

It was well into the afternoon by the time Fluttershy was preparing herself lunch. While feeding her animal friends she had let herself loose track of time and forgotten to feed herself, and by now her stomach was growling in complaint. She hummed as she worked in the kitchen, making sauce and boiling spaghetti. As she was straining the pasta there was a knock on the door. "One moment please." She called as she set the pasta back in the pot. She hadn't been expecting company and felt guilty at the thought of not making enough food to feed anypony else. She opened the door to find Twilight, wearing a yellow sun dress and fussing with her mane. "Oh, hello Twilight." Fluttershy said, prompting her to stop suddenly.

"Hello Fluttershy! I know it's a bit late for lunch, but I was wondering if you wanted to have a picnic?" Twilight held up a picnic basket and smiled hopefully.

"That sounds wonderful. I was just about to make lunch, actually. Uhm, give me just a minute to put everything away." Fluttershy gestured for Twilight to sit in the living room while she put her would be lunch in the refrigerator. She didn't want to let on that she had already made food in case Twilight would decide there was no point in spending the afternoon with her. She had hardly seen Twilight since the whole incident with Rarity, and missed her company. So ignoring her stomach's complaints she put the the spices away in the cabinets and the pots in the sink.

When she returned to the living room she found Twilight straightening her tail this time. Fluttershy cocked her head to the side, wondering if Twilight was planning on meeting somepony else as well. She was dressed up, after all, and was even wearing makeup. While Fluttershy was watching Twilight glanced over and jumped to her hooves. "Oh, uhm, I'm ready to go if, uhm, you are." Fluttershy stared at the floor.

"Oh, yeah, me too!" Twilight levitated the picnic basket and made for the door.

Fluttershy fell in step behind her, letting her pick the destination. _'Stupid!'_ She thought. _'Now she thinks I was staring at her. It's no wonder Twilight doesn't want to come around anymore. She probably hates being around me now.'_

Twilight seemed to know exactly where she wanted to go, moving purposefully away from Ponyville. Before too long they she stopped Twilight gestured to a nice shady spot under a tree. "How's this for a spot?" she asked. They were in a field, but the outskirts of the forest were visible, creating a backdrop of greenery, but leaving the sky visible overhead. There were all sorts of wildflowers growing all around, including sunflowers as tall as a pony.

"Oh, it's lovely." She said. Twilight didn't _seem_ uncomfortable, but Fluttershy wondered if she was just hiding her it for her friend's sake. Still, even if that was the case Fluttershy was happy that she had friends who were willing to put up with her despite what she was. She would just have to make sure she returned the favor and not do anything weird around them.

"So how are all the animals?" Twilight asked as she set down a blanket and began unpacking the picnic basket, setting aside sandwiches and a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres cider.

"Oh, the cutest little ducklings hatched the other day and they're just the most precious things ever. Today they were learning to swim for the first time. I was a little worried because they're still so small, but of course their parents knew best."

"Aww that's adorable!" Twilight passed over the sandwiches. "Do you think I'd be able to see them?"

"Of course! We can visit them after we eat, if you want." Fluttershy took a bite of her sandwich. She really was starving. "So, are you researching anything right now?"

"Well, actually I've been a bit busy with other things lately, but there was a fascinating theory on the core principles of magic published earlier this week that I've been looking forward to reading. It's been causing some controversy because if it's accurate it'll mean a lot of what we thought we understood only works because of some lucky guesses. Basically…" Twilight launched into an explanation that mostly went over Fluttershy's head, even though she knew Twilight was trying her best to simplify it. Still, it gave her a chance to eat and she did enjoy watching Twilight get so caught up in her explanation. Fluttershy really admired her passion.

"Which really goes back to Clover's classification of the different magic elements." Twilight suddenly seemed to realize she was rambling. "Sorry, guess I got a little caught up there."

"Oh, no, it's fine." Fluttershy insisted, but the conversation returned to everyday fare. Fluttershy kept hoping Twilight would tell her what she had been up to for the past month, but every time the conversation moved towards the topic Twilight would change the subject. Growing more frustrated every time she eventually decided to ask the question on her mind.

"Uhm… Twilight..?"

"Yes?"

"Uhm… I was wondering… why don't you come visit me anymore?" Fluttershy squeaked.

Rather than answer Twilight tilted her head to the side and smiled. "I'm sorry Fluttershy, but could you repeat that?"

Fluttershy gulped nervously and took a deep breath. Trying to speak a little louder she repeated "It's just… you used to come see me at least once a week, but now, uhm, you haven't come to visit me. Is it, uhm, did I do something wrong?."

Twilight was taken aback by the question. After a moment of composing herself she answered "I've just been busy. I'm sorry if I made you feel ignored. You haven't done anything wrong, and I've missed spending time with you too! That's why I wanted to come by today."

' _She's been busy. She probably has a lot of important responsibilities as a princess. I'm just being selfish.'_ Fluttershy told herself. Of course she was being silly, but still… "Is it because I'm… I like mares? She asked. "It is isn't it? It's okay, I don't blame you."

"Fluttershy." Twilight moved in closer, putting her face in front of Fluttershy's to force the shy pegasus to actually look at her. She tried turning her head but Twilight kept moving hers to always be in view, not letting Fluttershy break eye contact. Eventually she gave up and settled on just casting her eyes downwards. She didn't want Twilight to see the tears already welling up. Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I talked to Rarity the other day. She's worried about you, she told me that you've been avoiding her because you're afraid she doesn't want to be around you anymore. You keep acting like we don't accept you but we do, and you know that. We all know that there's nothing wrong with you, and we all love you just the way you are. I don't think that how we feel about you is really what's bothering you. I think the real problem is that you don't accept yourself."

Fluttershy finally looked at Twilight. She was smiling but there was something else in her expression. She looked sad. Sad to see her friend so hurt. Looking into Twilight's eyes she couldn't hold back anymore and began to cry openly. Twilight pulled her into a hug and Fluttershy cried on her shoulder. Twilight stroked her mane as she sobbed uncontrollably. Twilight didn't say much, just the occasional "It's okay." as Fluttershy let out everything she had been bottling inside, all the fears and self consciousness. She couldn't say how long she cried for but eventually the tears subsided and she collapsed onto her back in the grass. Twilight laid next to her, leaning her head against Fluttershy's. She placed a foreleg on top of Twilight's and the alicorn responded by wrapping it in her own. Together they laid under the tree for a while, not saying anything. Fluttershy watched as the light shifted through the branches, moving the shadows over them as the sun slowly made it's way across the sky.

Eventually Fluttershy broke the silence."The I told Rarity how I felt, even after she said she couldn't feel the same way about me I was so happy. I finally told at least a few of my friends and everypony was still with me. It was the most liberated I've felt since I first came to Ponyville. But then that night once everypony went home I felt horrible. Like I didn't deserve to be happy, and I should have never thought somepony like Rarity could be like me. It's like…" Fluttershy searched for the words.

"Like you know there's nothing wrong with you, but no matter what you do it still feels like there is?" Twilight finished for her. Fluttershy nodded. It was exactly like that. "I know what you mean. There's something I should have told you as soon as I overheard you talking to Rainbow. Something I should have told everypony a long time ago, but I've been too scared." Twilight paused. The silence went on for so long Fluttershy thought she might have changed her mind. She wanted to hear what Twilight was going to say, but didn't want to push her. "Fluttershy, I'm a lesbian."

Fluttershy sat up and looked at Twilight, who was looking off to the side. She must have misheard. Twilight was a princess. She was one of the best ponies Fluttershy knew. She might _be_ the best pony Fluttershy knew. Twilight was a good pony, and good ponies were _not_ like her. "What?"

Twilight sat up too. "I like mares." She said simply, looking into Fluttershy's eyes. Twilight blushed as she placed her hoof on Fluttershy's again. "I… I like you, Fluttershy. I think… I think I might love you."

Fluttershy's mouth fell open as her brain stopped working. She was aware that Twilight's expression was changing from hopeful to nervous, but she couldn't process any words to say. Eventually Twilight continued, looking at their hooves which were still pressed together. "I know you don't feel the same way, and that's okay. But I just, well, I guess I wanted to tell you." Fluttershy tried to get her mouth to start saying something, anything, but nothing came out. This didn't happen. This kind of thing just didn't happen to her. As she continued to not say anything Twilight looked more concerned. Eventually she pulled her hoof back and stood up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Ducklings." Fluttershy squeaked out the first coherent thought she could latch on to.

"I'm sorry?"

"We haven't seen the ducklings yet." She said, standing up herself.

"Oh, uh, that's right. Uhm… we should go then,lead the way!" Twilight said, haphazardly using magic to stuff everything back into the picnic basket. Fluttershy led them to where the ducklings had been learning to swim earlier, her mind racing at what was going on. She couldn't begin to think about what to do because she wasn't sure what had happened. Part of her wondered if this was some sort of cruel joke, even though she knew there was no way Twilight would ever do anything like that.

They walked the whole way in silence, each pony lost in her own thoughts. By the time they reached the lake they found the ducks were gone, probably asleep after their tiring day. In their place was a family of otters playing. The two ponies stopped to watch. The otters, once they realized they had an audience began doing tricks to show off, much to Twilight's delight. _'Twilight… Twilight loves me? If I love her back I won't have to be alone anymore…'_ Fluttershy kept one eye on the otters and the other on the Twilight. Every time one of the otters did a flip or dive Twilight would laugh and cheer. Fluttershy did her best to find it. That spark that had ignited when she realized she loved Rarity. She had to admit she did enjoy watching her friend's excitement at the show, the way Twilight's face would light up. Twilight was able to find joy in Fluttershy's passion for animals, and while she'd never understand magic Fluttershy _did_ spend a lot of time reading. Twilight was caring, supportive, rarely pushed her into things she was uncomfortable with and when she did it was only ever for her own good. Most importantly Twilight not only liked mares but for whatever reason liked _her._

But she also couldn't deny that she just didn't feel the same way about Twilight as she did for Rarity. Not even close. Twilight was a great friend, but that was all Fluttershy could feel for her. Besides, it would be unfair to Twilight to accept her feelings when she knew she would always really have another mare on her mind. While Fluttershy contemplated this Twilight realized she was watching her and turned towards her, beaming. Fluttershy blushed but instead of hiding like she wanted to she just smiled back.

After leaving the otters they walked aimlessly for a while. They passed time chatting about the animals they saw, and never mentioning what they were really thinking about. Eventually Fluttershy found herself worrying less about her thoughts and managed to enjoy her afternoon with her friend. She actually felt a little better about Rarity. Knowing Twilight had feelings for her didn't bother Fluttershy, so maybe Rarity really _did_ mean it when she said she wasn't bothered by Fluttershy's feelings. All too soon, however, afternoon turned into evening and they found their way heading back to the cottage.

"Spike's probably waiting for me to start dinner, I didn't tell him I'd be out all day." Twilight said regretfully.

Fluttershy nodded. "If I don't start Angel's dinner he'll get cranky."

At first neither pony made to leave, but eventually Twilight said "Goodnight then." And walked off.

Fluttershy turned towards the door and hesitated. _'I should just go inside. We had a nice day and that's enough.'_ She thought. But she turned to look at Twilight, walking away and she felt torn. It was true that she didn't exactly share Twilight's feelings, but she did really enjoy the time they spent together. _'Maybe I can force it. Maybe just once it'll be okay if I take a chance.'_ "Wait!" She called. Twilight must not have heard because she was still walking away. Hating her quiet voice Fluttershy jumped into the air and glided over to the alicorn.

"Huh? Fluttershy?" Twilight was surprised, normally Fluttershy prefered to keep her hooves on the ground.

Fluttershy realized she didn't know what she had planned on saying. "Hi." she squeaked out eventually.

Twilight looked confused, but didn't seem to mind the awkward entrance. "Is… everything okay?"

Fluttershy spoke directly to the ground. "Uhm, are you going to Cheerilee's party?"

"Of course." Twilight said. "I'll see you there, right?"

"Yes… well.. actually, I was wondering if you, uhm, if you wanted to go. With… me." Fluttershy closed her eyes, even seeing Twilight's hooves made her nervous.

"Do you… mean as a date?" Twilight asked. Even without seeing her it wasn't hard to imagine her hopeful smile, considering how much it shown through her voice.

Fluttershy nodded, unable to speak. She peeked one eye open and glanced up to see Twilight's face go from surprise to joy in a second.

"Of course! That sounds perfect." Twilight said.

"Okay." Fluttershy said. She felt her leg go weak as she added "It's a date then."

"Yup. I can't wait." Twilight's face could barely hold her smile. She gave Fluttershy one more hug before departing. "Goodnight, Fluttershy."

"Goodnight, Twilight."

The pegasus kept calm until she had safely closed her door behind her, then she promptly collapsed. "It's a date. I asked one of my best friends on a date. Not to mention she's a princess, so does that mean it's a royal date?" As she was panicking on the floor an irritated white rabbit ran up. He was going to start kicking the floor impatiently until he got a better look at his caretaker's face. Instead he nuzzled against her and, when he was sure she couldn't see his face, rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Angel, what am I going to do?" The bunny hopped away for a moment and returned with her calender and the the sketch Rarity had made for Fluttershy's gala dress. He pointed to the calendar first then to the sketch. "You're right Angel. The party is in three days, that's plenty of time to make sure everything is perfect." The rabbit jumped excitedly then changed expression back to annoyance and pointed towards the kitchen. "Oh, right, after we get you your dinner of course." As Fluttershy pulled out the ingredients for Angel's salad, setting aside the pasta to reheat for herself, she tried to think positive. She had her first date ahead of her, and it was with a wonderful mare. True, she didn't love Twilight now, but maybe she could in time. _'What's the worst that could happen? If things don't go well I can just tell her. We only agreed to one date. I'm sure we'll still be friends no matter what. Maybe. Hopefully.'_ She shook her head and tried to focus on preparing the salad. _'What if I break her heart? I hope she doesn't hate me too much…'_ She sighed. She had three very long days ahead of her.


	7. First Date

It was early afternoon and Twilight was staring at Fluttershy's door. She was reflecting on how much things can change. A month ago she had been outside this door expecting nothing more than to spend some time with a friend. Now they were about to go on their first date together. _'What are we right now? I think it's too soon to say marefriend.'_ She wondered. She was thinking about change, but when it came down to it she was just stalling. She kept reminding herself that it was just a party they had both planned to go to anyway, and besides, Fluttershy had asked _her_ out, so what was there to be worried about? It was a perfectly rational outlook, and it didn't help. She wanted this night to be perfect. She needed it to be perfect. She needed Fluttershy to see how happy they could be together, or else she might decide not to go on another date. _'Well, sitting here isn't going to make anything perfect.'_ She reasoned.

With one last calming breath she knocked on the door. At first there was no answer, but just as she was about to knock louder the door opened, seemingly on it's own accord until she looked down to see Angel motioning for her to come inside. Stepping into the living room she looked around, but saw no sign of Fluttershy. Angel pointed to the couch then hopped up the stairs towards Fluttershy's room. Twilight sat down and waited as Fluttershy called out "Uhm… I'll be down in a moment."

"Oh, take your time. I'm sorry, I know I'm a little early." Twilight replied. She was still panicking, but at least now she was panicking from the comfort of Fluttershy's couch.

After a minute Angel came back down. He stared at Twilight. Not his usual glare of annoyance, more like he was looking for something. Twilight glanced around her and saw nothing of interest. He was definitely looking at her. He looked up to Fluttershy's room then back to her, his ears folded down as he nervously rubbed his paws together. Not for the first time she found herself wishing she could understand the rabbit.

Eventually her attention was drawn away by the sound of hoofsteps on the stairs. Twilight turned to see Fluttershy descend. She let out a gasp as Fluttershy reached the bottom and turned towards her. The yellow pegasus was wearing a purple halter sundress with a teal sash. Angel jumped up to fix a strand of her mane, which had been braided. She looked at the ground as she squeaked out a greeting.

"Fluttershy, you look beautiful." Twilight felt her cheeks grow hot as she openly spoke her mind about her crush for the first time, but it was nothing compared to Fluttershy who's face was completely red. She tried to hide in her mane, which proved impossible with it braided and only served to frustrate the little rabbit still hanging on her head. Twilight suspected that was Rarity's plan, to not let the shy pegasus hide away as she usually did.

"Oh, uhm… thank you." Fluttershy managed to say. She pried her eyes off the floor to look at Twilight, who was wearing a sunflower yellow sheath dress with blue trim. "Uhm, you too." she said, blushing even harder and looking away again.

Twilight smiled. Fluttershy called her beautiful! Well, sort of, but she knew better than to expect more than that right away. She walked over to the pegasus, who seemed determined to go from yellow to red. Twilight put a hoof around her and nuzzled her cheek. "Are you ready to go? I know we said we'd help set up but I sent Spike ahead already, so I'm sure they'll be fine if we take our time."

"No, I'm ready." Fluttershy said. "Let's go."

They departed and walked side by side towards Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight felt a rush being so close to Fluttershy. She always enjoyed her friend's company, but there had always been a measure of guilt, not to mention fear at being found out. For the first time she didn't have to worry about any of that. She walked with a spring in her step and a smile spreading from ear to ear. While her shy companion initially seemed to be more weighed down by her nerves eventually the positivity proved infectious and she lightened up as well.

Still, there was something that needed to be addressed. "So what do you want to do about telling other ponies?" Twilight asked as she nervously pulled at the hem of her dress . She tried to keep her tone casual, as if it was just a random question asked out of curiosity.

Fluttershy stopped in her tracks, a look of panic returning to her face. Twilight had expected this. She knew they had to decide before seeing everypony, but she still felt horrible for ruining the mood.

Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "We don't have to tell anypony anything if you don't want to. I won't push you into a situation you're uncomfortable with."

"I… I know I should just tell everypony and be done with it, but what will everypony think? I wish I was stronger…" Fluttershy moved around some dirt with her hoof.

"Fluttershy, you know it doesn't have to be everypony. We could just tell our friends for now and decide what to do about everypony else later."

"Well, it would be nice to not have to hide things from them anymore. And, well, I uhm, I told Rainbow already. I hope that's okay." Fluttershy folded her ears back.

Twilight smiled softly. "Of course it is. I'd never ask you to keep secrets from her. I know how close you two are." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Besides, I kind of already told Spike."

Fluttershy smiled a little and nodded. "And Rarity knows, so I suppose it's really just Applejack and Pinkie Pie. I guess maybe that won't be too bad."

Twilight hesitated while thinking of how much she should say about Applejack. All their friends had a soft spot for Fluttershy, so she doubted Applejack would do anything to make her feel unwelcome. Still, Fluttershy deserved the right to make an informed decision. "About Applejack. I told her about me and she, well, she didn't exactly take it well."

"Oh." Fluttershy stared at the ground.

"She didn't say anything against it exactly. I asked her for advice on what I should say to you. I didn't tell her it was you specifically, of course, I just told her it was a mare I like." Twilight frowned remembering the details but Fluttershy needed to know what she was getting into before she decided what she wanted to do. "She made it very clear that she was willing to ignore my love life so long as I kept it to myself."

Twilight took a moment of self pity, staring idly off to the side. She felt Fluttershy's foreleg wrap around her shoulders as the pegasus instinctively moved in to comfort her. Whether it was because she didn't know what to say or because she had the same thoughts weighing down her own mind Fluttershy didn't say anything. It didn't matter, having Fluttershy next to her, on their first date no less, made Applejack a distant concern.

"We don't have to tell her anything." Twilight said. "Pinkie was there too, and she was, well, Pinkie. I don't think she could ever look down on her friends, no matter what. I know she'd be really happy for us."

Fluttershy looked shocked at everything Twilight said. "Did you… already tell all our friends?"

"Yeah, about a week ago. I, uhm, wanted a few opinions on how to talk to you." Twilight hoped she didn't sound weird for talking about how nervous she had been. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just surprised you did it all by yourself. I don't think I could ever be that brave."

"Well, it wasn't easy, and I didn't exactly do it alone. I let it slip to my friend from the human world, Sunset Shimmer, and she supported me when I was ready to tell other ponies. But you know, I probably would have kept hiding it except, well…" Twilight trailed off as she gave Fluttershy a sideways glance.

"Except what?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

"I found somepony worth being brave for." Fluttershy blushed. Twilight felt a little guilty at how much she enjoyed it, but she couldn't help herself. She was simply too adorable when she blushed

"I… I think telling Pinkie wouldn't be so bad." Fluttershy said, turning her face away to try and hide the redness. "But maybe we could tell Applejack later, when we're not working on a birthday party."

Twilight's mind raced at the implication in what Fluttershy said. _'We can tell her later. That means we'll still be together later, it's not just one date! But did she mean that or was she just not thinking about what that sounded like…'_ She simply smiled and said "I think that sounds like a great idea."

"Okay." Fluttershy said as she leaned on Twilight. "But I really do want to tell our friends about me, and us. Even, uhm, Applejack. You'll help right?"

Twilight felt like she might explode. Was this how Pinkie felt all the time? Because she suddenly understood how the party pony was able to pull off so many impossible feats. Somehow she managed to remind herself that not only were the laws of physics still a thing, but she didn't want to make a scene in front of Fluttershy. "Of course I will." Twilight said as she wrapped Fluttershy in a hug.

Eventually they broke apart and resumed their walk. Twilight was relieved to find the positive spirit from before had returned as they walked the rest of the short trip to Sweet Apple Acres.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and stopped to compose herself. "Okay, I can do this."

" _We_ can do this." Twilight reminded her with a gentle nudge. Fluttershy smiled as they made their way towards the barn.

"Well howdy y'all!" Applejack said as they approached. She was up on a ladder hanging 'happy birthday' streamers from tree to tree. "Glad to see ya. Rarity is helping Cheerilee get ready, and Rainbow failed to show up as expected. Thanks for sending Spike over, he's been a big help with the decoratin'. Him and Pinkie are in the barn, I reckon she can tell you what's left to be done better than I can."

On one hoof Twilight appreciated Applejack not causing a scene, but on the other she was frustrated with how casual the farm pony was, as if she hadn't recently undermined her friend's feelings. But bringing that up was definitely not going to do anypony any favors, so she kept the conversation amiable. "Alright, we'll go talk to her then." She looked at Fluttershy to make sure she didn't change her mind about telling Applejack, but the pegasus looked more nerve wracked than before so Twilight led the way into the barn

"Hey guys." Spike said as they entered. He was setting up a snack table.

"Hello, Spike. The decorations look great." Twilight said. They looked around and saw no sign of Pinkie Pie. "Where's Pinkie?"

"Hiya Twilight!" Pinkie said as popped out from inside a hay stack. Twilight yelled and fell to the floor. "Hi Fluttershy!" Fluttershy had only jumped slightly and was quicker to recover.

"Hello Pinkie." Fluttershy said.

"What in the hay were you doing in there!?" Twilight demanded. As Fluttershy helped her up.

Pinkie gasped. "Was that a pun because I was in the hay?" Twilight facehoofed. It absolutely was not. "I'm rubbing off on you!" She added in a sing song voice.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I probably don't even want to know, do I?"

"I was testing hiding places for when Cheerilee gets here. A lot of ponies think all that matters is yelling 'surprise!', but if you really want to go the extra mile you really gotta think about things like hiding places."

"Oh, I didn't know it was a surprise party." Fluttershy said.

"It isn't." Twilight groaned. "Cheerilee already knows about the party! She sent out invitations herself!"

"That's why it'll be such a great surprise! Nopony will suspect a surprise party at a regular party!"

Twilight gave up. She would never understand Pinkie, that's all there was to it.

"Uhm." Fluttershy started to say something, but lost her nerve when everypony turned to look at her. Twilight moved beside to support her while Pinkie looked between them, her smile growing.

"So" Pinkie said, busying herself with fixing the hay stack she was in a moment ago. "Anything new going on?"

"Well, I uhm, I mean we…" Fluttershy looked to Twilight who smiled encouragingly. She knew it would do the shy mare good to say it herself. And if she was being totally honest she really wanted to hear Fluttershy say they were dating.

Pinkie stopped pretending to be busy and started bouncing excitedly. "I know!" she said as she propelled herself across the barn, grabbing both of them and pulling them into a group hug.

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged confused looks. "You do?" Twilight asked. Her glance fell on Spike.

"Hey, don't look at me. I haven't told a soul!" he insisted.

"Of course! I always know what's going on with my friends, even when they don't know it themselves yet! Besides, Twilight's crush was pretty obvious."

"It was not!" Twilight said. "Nopony else knew!"

"That's just because nopony else was looking. They all fell for that Flash Sentry distraction just because he's a stallion, but I always knew you two were OTP."

"What does that even mean?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie gasped. "Does this mean I can throw a party to congratulate you two?"

"No!" Twilight said quickly. "We haven't told everypony else yet, so no parties."

"Aww… okay." Pinkie relented.

"Thank you." Twilight noticed Fluttershy had been quiet for most of the conversation and was surprised to find she was giving her a strange look. "Is everything okay?" Twilight asked her.

"Oh, yes." she said with a shy smile. "I was just thinking how cute you are when you're all flustered." Now Twilight was the one turning red. She wondered if this was Fluttershy's revenge for making her blush earlier.

"Isn't she? Sometimes I go out of my way to mess with her just to see her reaction!" Pinkie said.

"You do what!?" She asked and immediately regretted it as both Fluttershy and Pinkie giggled. Even Spike snickered, trying unsuccessfully to hide it behind his claws. Twilight would have probably been more upset if Fluttershy hadn't of just called her cute.

Once everypony was done picking on Twilight the four of them set about actually putting up the rest of the decorations. "Just so we're clear, we haven't told Applejack that we're together yet." Twilight said.

"Why not?" Spike asked. "Didn't you see her on the way in?"

"Yes, but…" Twilight didn't really want to go into it all over again, and figured it wouldn't exactly make Fluttershy feel any better about coming out herself.

"Aww, I don't think you have to worry too much about that." Pinkie said. "After you left Rainbow came over and we talked to her about it, and I even got to sing a song!"

Twilight snickered, remembering how Rainbow had wanted to avoid that. Spike looked around at everypony. "I don't get it." he said when no one offered an explanation. "What did you guys have to her talk about?"

Realizing she wasn't getting out it, Twilight walked over to Spike. It was probably for the best that they talk about this. "Remember how I told you some ponies wouldn't understand?"

"Yeah, but Applejack's your friend." Spike said, shrugging. "Why would she care."

Twilight shook her head. "I don't know, but she was pretty clear that she didn't want any part of it."

Spike tapped his chin. "I guess it makes sense. I mean, her family can be pretty backwards, especially the ones that don't live in Ponyville."

"How do you know that?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Applebloom told me. She said that a lot of the Apples at the family reunions talk about how bad it is to be gay like it's just something everypony thinks."

Twilight smiled, happy to hear that Spike had talked about this with his friends. "When did you two talk about that?"

"After that day Rainbow came over and yelled at you." Spike said. "I mean, I didn't tell them about you two or anything, we just talked about it. None of the crusaders think it's a big deal. I guess Applebloom thought it was kinda weird at first, but then we talked about it and she doesn't anymore."

It always surprised her to see Spike growing up. She had been worried about telling him and here he was convincing other ponies that there was nothing wrong with being probably would have pulled him into a death grip of a hug, but she didn't want to embarrass him in front of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, so she just gave him a one hoof sideways hug before returning to work. It didn't take long, even at their leisurely pace, and soon everypony was making their way outside to help Applejack. Before leaving, however, Fluttershy stopped Twilight and they lingered until they were the only ones in the barn.

"Uhm… do you think Applejack will come around like Applebloom did?" she asked.

"I'm sure she will." Twilight said. "But Applebloom's younger and less set in her ways. She'll probably just need more time."

Fluttershy nodded. She seemed to be debating something. Twilight wondered if she should say something else, or hug her, or maybe do something else entirely. She had no idea how she was supposed to act on a date. "I think… I think we should tell her."

"Really? What made you change your mind?" Twilight asked.

"Well, if she keeps ignoring it then she won't ever change her mind. Maybe if she knows that, uhm, that we're dating… maybe that'll help her get used to it." Fluttershy said.

"That makes sense. As long as you're okay with waiting for her to figure everything out."

Fluttershy hesitated a moment, but eventually nodded. "I… I think I can handle that. Uhm, as long as, well…" Twilight cocked her head to the side, but Fluttershy just shook her head.

"As long as what?" Twilight asked. She smiled encouragingly and put her foreleg around Fluttershy's shoulders.

"Well… I, uhm… I don't think I could actually tell her…" Fluttershy said. She looked pleadingly at Twilight, who suddenly felt guilty for trying to make her tell Pinkie before.

"Don't worry, I'll tell her." Twilight said. Fluttershy smiled and hugged her, then the two finally left the barn.

"Was wonderin' where you two got to." Applejack said as they walked out. "Could one of you fly this end up there?" She gestured to a tree across from where she was.

"Sure." Twilight took the streamer from Applejack and tired it off on the other side before returning to Fluttershy. She looked to the pegasus who nodded, then back to the earth pony. Applejack, there's something we wanted to talk to you about."

"What's on your mind, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, stepping down from the ladder to talk properly.

Twilight took a deep breath then put her foreleg around Fluttershy. "Applejack, the pony I came to talk to you about the other day is, well, Fluttershy. Today is actually our first date."

Lacking the ability to hide away in her mane, Fluttershy nestled her head into Twilight's shoulder. Applejack stared at the two ponies in complete bewilderment. "Wait. You mean you're both… you two are…" She pulled her hat over her face for a moment before pulling it away, revealing a more composed expression. "Well I'll be. That's, well… I'm happy things are working out for ya."

"Thank you." Twilight said. Nopony quite seemed to know what to say, but before the silence could drag on too long a small explosion went off to the side.

Everypony turned to see a grumpy Spike covered in glitter while Pinkie stared at her party cannon. "Whoops, must have calibrated it wrong."

Applejack smiled and shook her head. "Well, this place don't look too bad. How 'bout I go get us some drinks? Come on Spike, you can get washed up."

Once Applejack was inside the house Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie. "Thank you Pinkie, but did you have to hit Spike?"

Pinkie shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

When Applejack and Spike returned he was considerably cleaner, but was still sparkling in the sunlight and probably would be for days. He was clearly a little upset about it but didn't seem to mind too much.

As they all sat around drinking the apple juice Applejack had brought for them Rarity showed up. "So sorry I'm late, but there was a last minute change of plans on Cheerilee's dress." She noticed Spike, who was trying to not be seen by his crush while he sparkled. "Oh, Spike, whatever did you do to your scales? They're simply dazzling today!"

"I, er…" Spike glanced at Pinkie who smiled innocently. "Oh you know me, just trying to look my best for Cheerilee's birthday!"

"So how's the birthday girl?" Pinkie asked her.

"She'll be along soon." Rarity said. "I ran ahead to make sure everything was ready, but it seems I needn't have worried."

"Yup. Got it covered while you were out gettin' pampered." Applejack teased.

"Hmph. I'll have you know we spent the whole morning putting the finishing touches on her dress, it was a complicated design even before the change. I took up so much of her time that afterwards I just had to treat her to a spa trip. Excuse me if I think a lady deserves some special treatment on her big day." Rarity said as she took a seat next to Fluttershy. Twilight wondered if she was just imagining the way Fluttershy's eyes seemed drawn to the unicorn. She inconspicuously placed her hoof on top of the Fluttershy's.

"I'm just messin' with ya Rare." Applejack said waving a hoof. "Like I said everything was fine here. Besides, as far as I'm concerned it's better you than me with all that prissy stuff."

"Oh come now darling, you really ought to come with us more often. You always enjoy yourself whenever I do manage to get you into the spa." Rarity said, pouting.

"Pass."

Shaking her head Rarity turned towards the other. She smiled at Twilight and Fluttershy and pointed with her eyes towards Applejack.

Fluttershy smiled. "It's okay Rarity. We already told them about us."

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear it! And I really can't hold it in any longer, you two do make such a lovely couple!" Rarity said clapping her hooves together and making both of them blush.

"I know! Just imagine how cute their foals will be!" Pinkie said. Everypony turned to her with variations of the surprise spectrum.

Twilight was not ready to go there. "Pinkie, that's not how that-" She realized Pinkie was grinning and facehoofed. "You're doing it again, aren't you."

"Doin' what now?" Applejack asked.

"Teasing Twilight 'cause she's just so cute when you do!" Pinkie answered.

Applejack eyed her suspiciously. "Oh, uhm, right…" she turned her attention to fixing a decoration that was fine to begin with.

"I dunno though." Spike said. "Twilight as a mom? I'd be afraid for the foal."

"Spike! Don't encourage her!" Twilight snapped.

Everypony laughed except Fluttershy, who gave Twilight a comforting smile. "Aww, don't listen to them." she said. "I'm sure you'll be a great mom."

Twilight felt her face go red as she tried to respond, the words getting lost somewhere between her brain and her mouth. Before she wondered if Fluttershy was getting revenge for Twilight making her blush, now she was sure.

Twilight was saved from her torment when Cheerilee and Cherry Blossom showed up. "Hello everypony!"

"Surprise!" Pinkie jumped out of the hay stack, which Twilight was positive she had left in the barn.

"Oh my!" Cheerilee jumped back. Cherry Blossom just looked confused. "I've got to hand it to you, Pinkie, I never would have suspected a surprise party at a regular party." Pinkie gave Twilight a victorious look.

As everypony greeted the sisters and wished Cheerilee a happy birthday Twilight had to admire Rarity's dress work and the amount of thought she clearly put into each one. Twilight's and Fluttershy's dresses were simple in comparison, but they accentuated one another perfectly. Rarity herself had also gotten dressed up, and while Twilight had no doubt her dress was at the peak of current fashion trends it made room for Cheerilee's to really shine. She had certainly gone all out on Cheerilee's gown, making her the star of the show.

Soon other ponies began to show up, including Cheerilee's whole class. Between current students, former students, and family of students it seemed the whole town showed up. There was no doubt the teacher was loved by all of Ponyville. By the time Rainbow Dash showed up the party was in full swing. When she saw Twilight and Fluttershy she grinned, declaring herself the 'best matchmaker ever'.

"What's that all about?" Cherry Blossom asked.

"Oh nothing." Twilight said. She cast Rainbow a dirty look, but the prismatic pegasus had already flown off somewhere else.

Cherry shrugged it off and glanced at the clock. "Well, it's about time."

"For what?" Twilight asked.

"For our little surprise." Cherry waved at Cheerilee, who was talking with one of her former students, and pointed at the clock. Cheerilee nodded. Twilight looked at Fluttershy, but she seemed equally confused. Cherry just grinned and disappeared behind the barn. After a few minutes the Mystery Mare made a surprise appearance. A large group of excited fillies and colts ran up to meet the professional wrestler and ask for autographs.

"Happy birthday, Ms. Cheerilee." Mystery Mare said, once she had met with all the foals.

"You _know_ the Mystery Mare?" the young stallion Cheerilee had been talking to asked.

"Oh, yes, we go way back." Cheerilee said.

"So, since it's your birthday how about I show you a few moves?" Mystery Mare asked. Her entourage of young ponies all gasped.

"Oh I don't know, I don't think wrestling is really my thing. Besides, I don't want to mess up my dress." Most of her students looked relieved to hear their teacher was out of harms way.

"Aw come on, I'll go easy on you."

"Well, I suppose maybe just a small lesson." Cheerilee undid a hidden latch on her dress and most of the frills came off, leaving it much more form fitting. Rarity really had thought of everything.

Everypony made room for the two. Cheerilee's students watched with a mixture of worry and excitement. True to her word, Mystery Mare went easy on Cheerilee, at least at first. Cheerilee kept showing up the wrestler at every turn, at first making it look like blind luck, but eventually taunting her as time went on.

"I think that's enough for now." Cheerilee said after a while. "We wouldn't want to wear down the Mystery Mare too much." She hadn't even messed up her dress.

"Alright, but one of these days I'll get you in the ring for real." Mystery Mare promised. The group of foals that had been following Mystery Mare around ran over to Cheerilee and all began talking excitedly as one. Mystery Mare used this chance to make her escape. The foals didn't even notice, their attention entirely on the teacher. At least until Cherry returned with cake.

Eventually the party had to end, sooner than anypony wanted. But Cheerilee insisted since there was school the next day, birthday or not.

"Did you want any help cleaning up?" Twilight asked Applejack.

"Sure, I-"

"Absolutely not!" Rarity interrupted, giving Applejack a dirty look. "The night is still young, after all, and I'm sure we'll manage just fine."

Applejack waited a moment to make sure it was safe to talk before speaking up. "Well, y'all heard the lady. I reckon we'll do alright over here."

"Oh, but it wouldn't be fair." Fluttershy protested. "Besides, there's just so much to do we couldn't just-"

"Rainbow!" Pinkie called as the pegasus was attempting to make an escape. "Could you take care of those streamers over there?"

Rainbow gave a desperate grin. "Well, you know I would, but I've got this thing…" Rarity cleared her throat and flicked her tail in Fluttershy's direction. Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, alright, I'll stay."

"I knew we could count on you!" Pinkie said. Rainbow just grumbled.

"See, we're fine here." Spike said through an armful of streamers and balloons. Most of the little dragon was hidden behind the decorations.

"You're sure it's okay?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course, darling." Rarity insisted. "Now you two enjoy yourselves." She winked and gave a look that left them both blushing.

As they left they heard Rainbow call after them. "But don't enjoy yourselves too much!" They turned and looked at each other before both ponies broke into laughter.

Once they had recovered and began walking again Twilight asked "So what would you like to do? I mean, if you don't want to go home yet."

"Oh, uhm, I don't know. But I, uhm, wouldn't mind if you wanted to do something else together."

Twilight's spirits soared. She smiled enthusiastically. "I was thinking maybe we could go for a walk in the moonlight. The sky's clear tonight, perfect for stargazing."

"That sounds lovely."

They made a general path towards the park. "I hope today wasn't too much for you."

"No, I'm glad all our friends know now. It's nice not having to hide anything, and it wasn't as bad as I thought. Having you with me made it easier, I think." Fluttershy leaned against Twilight as they walked. "And when it's time to tell everypony else you'll still be there, right?"

"Of course I will." Twilight smiled. "We can cross that bridge together when we get to it."

Twilight felt excited being so close to Fluttershy, talking about a future where they were still together. At the same time she felt calm. The pegasus had a way of making her feel peaceful whenever they were together, and she treasured even the silence as they walked.

"Hmm." Fluttershy chuckled. "I can't believe I asked out a princess."

"I have to admit, I was pretty surprised too. I was planning on asking you out, but I kind of lost my nerve halfway through."

"Uhm, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, anything."

"Why me? You could probably be with anypony. Certainly somepony braver, or who understood magic, or just... somepony better than me."

Twilight shook her head. "Braver? What matters is being brave when it counts, and I've seen you rush headfirst into danger plenty of times. And maybe I could find somepony who could keep up with me in magic, but so what? I'd never find a pony as compassionate as you. I want to be with somepony who appreciates simple things, somepony I can enjoy being around whether we're with friends, or just walking through flowers and watching clouds roll by."

"That does sound nice."

"There's no pony I'd rather be with." Twilight said. Fluttershy smiled at her as they stopped walking. Twilight stared into her blue eyes and felt her heart race. _'Is this the right moment?'_ She wondered. Was she imagining it or was Fluttershy's face moving closer? She decided to go for it.

"Let's take a break over there." Fluttershy motioned towards a tree.

"Oh, uh, sure." As Twilight followed the pegasus she couldn't help but notice her tail was swaying seductively. _'Probably imagining it.'_ she reasoned. As the sat down she put her hoof on Fluttershy's.

They sat in silence for a moment enjoying the cool evening breeze. "I'm glad I asked you out." Fluttershy said, nuzzling Twilight.

Determined not to overthink things again Twilight bent down and kissed Fluttershy on the cheek. The pegasus's head popped up and Twilight smiled sheepishly. Blushing, Fluttershy leaned in and kissed Twilight before she even knew what was going on. They smiled at each other for a moment before turning away blushing. Twilight smirked. "And you said you weren't brave."

"I guess I found somepony worth being brave for too." Fluttershy rested her head against Twilight's neck as Twilight draped a wing over her, and they sat together watching the stars.

* * *

Author's Note: So ends act 1. Hope everyone's enjoying this so far! Are daily updates good or bad? I could see it being kinda annoying since I don't expect anyone to be hanging on the edge of their seat waiting to see what will happen, the constant new chapter notification might be obnoxious. But I suppose it might also be cool, even if your not dying to know what happens just having the story continue day by day. Let me know what you think, I can always slow it down if people don't like it ;p


	8. Stay With Me

Twilight smiled in her sleep. Fluttershy, who had just woken up, wondered what she was dreaming about. As she watched her marefriend sleep peacefully the chill of the winter morning set in, so she pulled herself closer, placing her head on Twilight's chest. She closed her eyes and focused on the other mare's heartbeat, letting its gentle rhythm bring her peace. She felt a wing drape over her and heard Twilight mumble something unintelligible. She knew Twilight would be awake soon, and really the sooner the better. _'Not right now, though.'_ Fluttershy hoped. _'Just a few more minutes.'_

"Mmm… good morning." Twilight mumbled and stroked Fluttershy's mane.

' _Oh well, it's for the best anyway.'_ "Good morning." Fluttershy replied. She pulled away from the soothing sounds of Twilight's heart long enough to kiss her before going back to cuddling.

"Sleep well?"

"I always do when I'm with you." Fluttershy tried to get up, but Twilight kept holding on to her. "We have a busy day, Twily. We really should get up."

"No." Twilight refused. She kissed Fluttershy's head and kept her held close.

"Oh, you finished everything yesterday? I didn't realize." Fluttershy knew Twilight had done no such thing, of course, because she had blown off all her preparations the day before to spend the day with Fluttershy at her cottage

"It's cold out there." Twilight protested. "I want to stay here where it's warm."

"Cold or not, you're a princess. You can't just go away for a week without making any preparations."

Twilight sighed and Fluttershy thought she'd won until Twilight said "Your princess demands cuddles."

Fluttershy giggled. "A demand? Well I guess I better cuddle you then." She waited moment to let Twilight think she'd get her way before pulling out her secret weapon. "Only, I do hope all the animals are okay. It was so cold last night and some of the poor babies are so fragile. But if Princess Twilight Sparkle demands cuddles…"

With a sigh Twilight let go. "Why are you so mean to me?"

Fluttershy pulled her into a kiss before getting up. "Because I love you."

Twilight sat up and yawned. As she stretched out she was so cute Fluttershy was tempted to take her up on her offer of more cuddles, but she knew if she let Twilight have her way they'd never get out of bed. _'A compromise.'_ She decided. "How about something nice and hot to start the day? We have tea and cocoa."

"Cocoa sounds great." Twilight said, finally rising from the bed at the promise of the warming beverage.

They made their way downstairs to the kitchen, where Twilight sat at the table and put her head down on her hooves. Apparently she used to rise with the Sun everyday to start her lessons with Princess Celestia, a habit she had long since broke out of. The alicorn was completely useless in the mornings. She blamed it on years studying long into the night, but Fluttershy suspected it had more to do with no longer having anypony to keep her to the Sun's schedule. Fluttershy didn't mind though, she was happy to take over the morning chores.

Fluttershy hummed cheerfully as she filled two mugs with hot cocoa, liberally pouring marshmallows into Twilight's. "Be careful, it's still hot." She said as she sat down next to Twilight, placing a mug in front of each of them. Twilight pulled her head up only to rest it onto Fluttershy's shoulder instead, letting the cold air cool off her drink. Leaning her head on Twilight's, Fluttershy absentmindedly stroked Twilight's mane and smiled to herself. After a minute she gingerly tested her cocoa and found it not too hot. "If you don't hurry up soon it won't be hot at all." She said.

Without getting up Twilight lifted her mug in her magic and took a sip. Perking up at the heat she sat up on her own and took the mug in her hooves. "Thanks Shy, it's perfect."

They sipped their cocoa in silence for a while as Twilight finished waking up. Once she did she smirked. "So, you had to take care of those poor little animals, huh?"

Fluttershy blushed. She had hoped by the time Twilight was awake enough to see the hole in her excuse she wouldn't even remember it. "Well, I had to say something. And I am worried about them, I'm going to check on them as soon as I finish this cocoa. Besides," she nuzzled against Twilight's chest "somepony was being unreasonable."

"Unreasonable?" Twilight said. She sounded annoyed, but her smile betrayed her. "For wanting to spend more time in bed with a beautiful mare? Hardly."

"You were abusing your power as a princess."

"Was not. Princesses get to demand cuddles. I'll have you know cuddling is an important part of being a princess. The most important part, actually."

"Oh? For all the princesses?"

"Oh yes. Be thankful you're not in Shining Armor's position. Being the Princess of Love means cuddles almost around the clock. And don't tell anypony I told you this, but the real reason Luna went all Nightmare Moon was because she didn't get enough cuddles."

Fluttershy laughed and almost spit out her cocoa. "Oh no, I can't let that happen." She threw her hooves around Twilight. "What about Princess Celestia?"

"Nopony knows, actually. Nopony's willing to risk it."

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing I'm around. We'll never have to find out what happens to you without cuddles."

"Good. Then I guess we should just get back in bed." Pulling away, Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at her. "Joking! Just joking."

Twilight drained the last of her cocoa and stood up. "Well, I do actually have a lot to do. Sorry I can't help you with the animals today."

"It's fine, I understand." Fluttershy kissed her on the cheek. "Don't work too hard. I love you, Twily."

"I love you too, Shy."

Stepping out and taking a good look around to make sure there was nopony in sight Twilight flew off. Low at first until she was far away enough that anypony watching wouldn't realize where she came from, then flying straight up to pass overhead of any watchful eyes. Fluttershy drank the last of her cocoa and rushed out the door to care for her animal friends.

* * *

On top of feeding the animals as always Fluttershy had spent several hours making sure their houses were keeping the snow out. She was completely exhausted, not to mention freezing, and she still had to pack and make sure everything would be in order while she was gone. Of course she knew Twilight was just as busy and didn't begrudge her for leaving, but she couldn't help wishing she hadn't. Twilight never seemed to tire. She said it was because she was an alicorn, then said a lot of stuff Fluttershy didn't understand about the difference in their anatomy. Regardless of the reason, Fluttershy missed her energy right now.

As Fluttershy was preparing a list of instructions there was a knock at the door. She answered it to find Rainbow Dash, who ran in as soon as it was open.

"Hello Rainbow." She said as she shut the door against the cold.

"Hey Shy. Sorry to barge in, but man it's cold out." Rainbow said, pulling a thermos from under her wing. As she unscrewed it steam came out and the smell of apples and spices filled the room. "Big snowfall tonight. Gotta get ready for Hearth's Warming." Fluttershy nodded. Ponyville had a perfect snowfall every Hearth's Warming, turning the town into a winter wonderland. She was kind of sad to miss it this year.

"So, all ready to go?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh, no. I haven't even started packing yet. I've been busy making sure all the animals are taken care of." She went back to her list.

"Fluttershy, they'll be fine. AJ knows what she's doing."

"Well, it's just that I know she's busy so I wanted to make sure everything is ready for her."

"She doesn't harvest in the snow, you know. She'll have plenty of time." Seeing the worried look on Fluttershy's face she sighed. "Look, I'll stop by tomorrow and make sure she doesn't need any help."

"Aaw, thank you Dashie. Uhm, it isn't too much trouble, is it?"

"Naw, it's fine. Now go pack." Even after her reassurance Rainbow had to practically drag Fluttershy into the bedroom, where she collapsed on the bed while Fluttershy began packing.

"So, you nervous?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine. Twilight says they'll understand."

She was sure she'd kept her tone perfectly calm, but Rainbow's look made it clear she didn't buy it. "Uh huh. But you're nervous."

"I'm terrified." She never could hide anything from Rainbow.

"Don't worry about it. You're like, literally _the_ pony parents dream of having for a daughter in-law."

"Well, we won't really be in-laws."

"Close enough. Anyway, Twilight says they'll be fine with it, so what's the problem?"

' _Then why hasn't she told them yet?'_ Fluttershy wondered to herself _'If they're fine with it am I the problem then?'_ She wouldn't bring it up with Rainbow, the last thing she wanted was another fight between the two ponies most important to her. Instead she decided to talk about her other concern. "Oh, but what if they _don't_ approve? What if they're upset their daughter is with another mare? They'll be disappointed with her and it'll be all my fault!" Fluttershy realized she had just packed a dozen sets of socks for a week long trip. She usually didn't even wear socks and honestly couldn't remember where they had come from. She began unpacking them.

Rainbow gave her a deadpan stare. "Yeah, I'm sure they'll be so disappointed in their screw up daughter. I mean she's only the Princess of Friendship, so you know no big deal. Plus she's dating the Element of Kindness, who only saved Equestria, like, fifty times. Besides, even if they are somehow disappointed how is that your fault? I mean, it's not like you made her gay."

Fluttershy knew she was right, but it didn't help. "Twilight won't say it but I can tell she's worried too. What if there's some reason that she's not telling me? Maybe they're not as supportive as she wants me to think they are."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Of course she's worried. She worries about everything. She'll never stop worrying until everything's done with. That's why you guys should just tell everypony."

Fluttershy had her head in a drawer looking for a brush. She found one, pretended she didn't, and kept looking.

"I know, I know, your decision." Rainbow mumbled something but Fluttershy couldn't make it out.

Once she couldn't realistically expect Rainbow to believe she was still looking for something in the drawer she pulled her head out and put the brush in her saddlebag. She tried to think of anything else she might need but couldn't. Packing really didn't take too long once she stopped grabbing the wrong things. She sat on the bed next to Rainbow. "Twilight has a lot to think about. It's not just about us. As a princess everypony from every walk of life needs to be able to respect her, even the ones who wouldn't approve of us."

Rainbow threw her hooves up in frustration. "And you're okay with that!?"

"Oh, I understand completely." Fluttershy didn't meet her eyes.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed, reading between the lines of Fluttershy's answer. "But are you okay with it?"

Fluttershy suddenly regretted being done packing. "Dash, I've really never been happier." She finally made eye contact. "I love Twilight. And we're getting there. Telling her parents is a big step."

Fluttershy was satisfied that would be the end of it. Rainbow wasn't. "Have you told her you want to go public?"  
Fluttershy hesitated before answering. "We've talked about it." Fluttershy broke eye contact again.

"And you actually said 'I want to tell everypony.'" Rainbow sounded doubtful.

Fluttershy gave up. "I don't know what I want." She fell onto her side and curled around a pillow. "Some days I'm just so tired of secrets. I've kept so many secrets for so long, and I'm sick of it. About everything back in Cloudsdale, about liking mares, about Rarity, now about Twilight. Sometimes I wish I just didn't have anymore secrets, and whenever I finally tell somepony it always works out. Well, except Rarity, but now that I have Twilight I wouldn't want to change that anyway. I just don't understand why I keep everything secret."

She looked up to see Rainbow giving her a comforting smile. Fluttershy knew that was exactly what she wanted to hear. "You don't have to! You never did, Shy."

"But other days, I just feel so scared. I just want to hide away from everything, just me and Twilight. And I feel like the rest of the world doesn't need to know, that they'll only try and pull us apart." Tears began rolling down her cheek so she buried her face into the pillow.

She felt Rainbow's hoof on her shoulder. "It's okay Shy. Nopony's gonna tear you two apart, trust me." She wiped away her tears and tried to believe what Rainbow said. "Have you told her about, uhm… Cloudsdale?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I can't tell her about… that. She might not love me anymore."

"Are you kidding me? That mare's crazy about you, we all know it. Did you know Rarity's already designing wedding dresses?"

Fluttershy blushed. "Oh my, isn't it a little early for that?"

Rainbow chuckled. "Yeah, Rarity's getting ahead of herself, not surprising. But to be honest we kinda all see it coming. Even AJ realizes you two are perfect for each other."

"Really?" Fluttershy smiled. Applejack was friendly with both her and Twilight, and aside from being less affectionate than she was before more or less acted the same as always whenever she was around them individually. When they were all together, however, she was clearly uncomfortable with the couple. She never said a word against them, but she would find excuses to not stick around.

"Yeah! My point is that Twilight will _not_ stop loving you." Rainbow hesitated, clearly not wanting to make Fluttershy cry anymore. After a moment she said "You should at least tell her he's still alive, and what he was like when your mom was around."

Fluttershy thought about it. She could do that much at least. "You're right. I should." Looking at Rainbow she amended her statement. "I will."

"There ya go!" Rainbow patted her on the back, almost knocking Fluttershy off the bed. "And you know, if you ever need any support I'll be there. I could even tell her for you if you don't feel up to it."

"I'll… I'll tell her." Fluttershy said. She loved Rainbow and knew she always meant well, but if she started talking about him there was no telling what she would say. "I think she should really hear it from me."

"Yeah, you're right." Rainbow said. "Just don't worry so much. She'll understand. She's a good pony."

"Yeah." Fluttershy nodded, but she was still full of doubt.

* * *

Fluttershy had planned on getting to bed early. They were leaving on the first train in the morning, after all. But once Rainbow left she immediately went back to preparing for her week away, making detailed notes and proportioning out food. The sun had set by the time she was done, and she had expected to drift easily to sleep as soon as she was bundled up in bed, but instead she was just staring at the ceiling.

' _Nothing's wrong with me.'_ She reminded herself. She didn't believe herself. ' _What's wrong with me?'_ Like she didn't know. She was a freak. And Rainbow Dash was wrong, she was ruining Twilight's life now too.

' _Did you hear about Fluttershy?'_

' _No dear, don't talk to that pony.'_

' _You've always been sorry.'_

' _No way, she's too nice to be gay.'_

' _She's not coming back! And it's all your fault.'_

' _Hey, faggot.'_

' _Let's go, I don't want to be around her.'_

' _Nopony will believe you.'_

Fluttershy couldn't stop crying. She had a death grip on one of the pillows, which still smelled like Twilight. _'I should just leave her alone. I shouldn't drag her down with me. And if she loves me then that's my fault too.'_ It had been Fluttershy, after all, who had insisted they spend the night together. On their second date Fluttershy had asked Twilight to stay with her. She was willing to do whatever it took to keep Twilight with her at night. But Twilight was always perfect, respecting Fluttershy's boundaries and sleeping on the couch. But she was selfish, and it wasn't good enough for her to have Twilight asleep in the next room, so in the middle of the night she had snuck down to the living room and climbed on the couch next to Twilight. _'Why am I so needy?'_ They spent most nights together now. She let Twilight fall further every night just so somepony would hold her. She was weak. Weak and needy. She knew that she shouldn't go, shouldn't make Twilight tell her parents she had a marefriend. But she knew she would. She would, because she was weak.

She curled into a ball around the pillow and threw her blanket over her head. She tried to think about anything else. She listened to the sound of the wind outside, blowing through the tree branches. She loved all the sounds of nature, and was calmed by rustling leaves. Until she heard a thunk. _'Was that a hoofstep?'_ She was being ridiculous, of course it wasn't. She heard it again, and again. She was a little filly, crying into her pillow, just hoping the sound would stop, that nothing would come get her. She was sure she was hearing hoofsteps now, it was the only thing she could hear. They stopped by the bed and she could smell the alcohol already, hear his breathing. _'Momma, save me.'_

Fluttershy screamed. She threw the blankets off her and looked around wildly. She was alone. She was soaked with sweat and her heart felt like it was going to break through her chest, and every shadow reminded her of him. She got out of bed. Without thinking she grabbed her saddlebag and descended the stairs. She stopped only to kiss Angel while he slept, then stepped out into the cold. Locking the door behind her she began walking.

At first she didn't think of anything. She hadn't even made the decision to actually leave the house, it was an automatic response. But as she walked through the town in the dead of night she knew she was being foalish. She should be home in bed. Glancing at the clock tower on the way by she saw it was almost midnight. Their train left in six hours, and the smart thing to do would be to turn around and go back to bed. She kept walking. She didn't didn't stop once all the way to Twilight's castle.

She quietly made her way to Twilight's room. She had expected her to be asleep but she wasn't even in her bedroom. Poking her head into the adjoining room she found Twilight in her study facing away from her, working her way through a big stack of papers.

"Uhm, hi-"

"Aah!" Twilight jumped. Whipping around she sighed in relief. "Oh, hi Shy. You startled me." She got up and walked over to Fluttershy, giving her a smile and a kiss. "I didn't think I'd see you until the morning."

The tightness in her chest that Fluttershy had felt all night finally went away. "Sorry, I know it's late, but I guess I'm a little nervous. Uhm, do you mind if I stay with you tonight?"

"Of course not! And there's nothing to be nervous about Shy, really. I do have a lot of paperwork that I need to finish first though. You should head to bed and I'll join you in a bit."

"Oh, okay. Try not to be too long. Big day tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll try. Love you Shy, goodnight."

"Good night. Love you, Twily."

Fluttershy lied down on the bed. She grabbed one of Twilight's stuffed animals and tried to sleep. She didn't feel as bad with Twilight in the next room, but she still lied awake.

A vibration came from the table. "Twily, Sunset wrote you."

"At this hour? Well, it is winter break there so I guess I'm not surprised she's up. Could you read me what it says?" Twilight called from the other room.

Opening the book Fluttershy read the passage out loud. "She said 'Just got back from Pinkie's party kicking off winter break. Don't know how that girl has time to plan a party and still study for her mid terms.'"

"No matter which world, Pinkie's still Pinkie." Twilight said. Fluttershy could tell she was laughing even though she was a room away. "I really want to get to sleep before we leave though, so since it's not urgent I'll just write to her later."

Fluttershy and Sunset had never 'talked'. They had occasionally exchanged greetings and general well wishes, but always through Twilight. The idea of talking to somepony a whole world away seemed a little intimidating to the shy pegasus. But she also desperately wanted to avoid going to bed alone, and couldn't bother Twilight while she worked. "Uhm, do you think it'd be okay if I wrote back? I… I'm still too excited to sleep."

"I think the two of you talking would be a great idea! Twilight's happiness at bringing her friends together was obvious in her voice. "Just try not to stay up too late."

Fluttershy stared at the page wondering what to say. _'If I wait too long she'll just go to sleep. I should start with introducing myself, at least.'_

'Hello, Sunset. This is Fluttershy, Twilight's busy right now. But I'd like to talk, if you wanted.'

Fluttershy stared at the words. She had expected something magic to happen, like the letters to flash while it sent the message. She wondered if it only worked for unicorns. Or alicorns, or former unicorns. Then as she stared letters started appearing, as if somepony invisible were writing them.

'Hi Fluttershy. Nice to finally get a chance to talk with you. Twilight told me all about you of course.'

Fluttershy instinctively started to hide in her hair. She always panicked when talking to somepony new and liked to let her friends handle most of the conversation. When she had to talk to other ponies by herself she always thought of what to say when it was too late to say it, and she could always feel the other ponies watching her, wondering why she wasn't talking. Except now she couldn't. She realized how perfect this situation was for her. Sunset couldn't see her, she couldn't hear her mumble, or trip over words. She could take her time thinking of how to reply without the fear of being judged.

'You know, on our first date, Twilight told me you were the one who convinced her to come out to everypony, including me. If it wasn't for you I don't think we ever would have gotten together. I've never had a chance to thank you, I could probably never thank you enough. Twilight is the best thing that ever happened to me.'

As Fluttershy watched the page she wondered if Sunset did the same thing, think of her reply before sending it. Fluttershy smiled, thinking of how wonderful this journal was. This time as words came she felt excitement. She couldn't believe she actually felt excited to continue a conversation with somepony she didn't know.

'Hey, you're making me blush over here. Really though, it wasn't a big deal. You two would have figured it out eventually. Besides, I wanted to help her. She's actually the best thing that ever happened to me too, you know.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, what did she tell you about me the first time she went through the mirror?'

'She told me you were just alone, and only needed a helping hand to show you how to be friends.'

'That definitely sounds like what she'd say. But I bet she didn't tell you that the 'helping hand' was her lifting me out of a crater and forgiving me after I tried to kill her and her friends, not mention take over Equestria.'

Fluttershy was glad Sunset couldn't see her reaction. She had to take a moment to remind herself that Twilight _had_ forgiven her and that they were friends now. 'No, she didn't tell me all that.'

'She probably just didn't want to worry all of you. Well, anyway, here's what really happened...'

Sunset explained everything that happened on Twilight's first trip through the mirror. Fluttershy was reminded of exactly why she loved Twilight so much, and while she was worried she wouldn't be able to forgive Sunset for trying to kill Twilight, she found she actually had a lot more respect for her for managing to turn her life around. Once the story was finished they talked about other things. About Twilight, and telling her parents tomorrow. About Sunset's holiday plans with her friends, and the differences between Hearth's Warming and all the different holidays the humans celebrated. They even talked a little about the other Fluttershy, which still was really weird to her. They talked for hours, and by the time Twilight came into the bedroom Fluttershy was gently snoring into the book.


	9. Welcome to the Family

Everywhere they walked they drew attention to themselves. Twilight always hated it, now more than ever. In Ponyville she didn't have to worry so much. Everypony knew her, and not just as a princess. In Canterlot friendly waves and casual greetings were replaced with open stares and awkward bows. Even when ponies did greet her they were overly formal, calling her 'your highness' and talking about how it was 'an honor to meet her.' When they first departed the train she was nervous about seeing her parents, now she could hardly wait. Her mood wasn't improved by the fact that even with sleeping on the train she was still exhausted. This was exactly why she hated waiting for the last minute to prepare.

She looked at Fluttershy, who smiled. Even in the snow that smile warmed her heart. Spike was riding on her back. He had decided that if he attempted to hitch a ride with Twilight in her current mood he'd just wind up face first in the snow. He was probably right. Of the three of them he was the only one in the holiday spirit, even waving at the slack jawed onlookers. He chattered most of the trip, telling Fluttershy all about their family. While Twilight tuned most of it out she did find it cute how excited he was. For him this was just a holiday family reunion. Hopefully his excitement would help put Fluttershy's mind at rest. Twilight knew she was more nervous than she let on.

"...and wait until you try dad's peach cobbler! He makes it every year and it's the best!"

"Well, this is the street." Twilight announced as they rounded the last corner. She was amazed at how familiar everything felt. "That's the house right over there."

"Oh." Fluttershy stopped, her eyes going wide at what Twilight had called a house, but was really more of a manor. "It's so, uhm… big."

After glancing around to make sure the coast was clear of nosey neighbors Twilight pulled her marefriend into a hug. "It'll be fine Shy."

"It's just, uhm. They must be very important." Fluttershy said.

"You mean snobby." Twilight smiled. "Trust me, they're not. Yes, they're a little on the fancy side, but they're regular ponies."

"They're not regular ponies." Spike said, jumping down to properly talk to Fluttershy. "They're the best ponies. And seriously, they're gonna love you. They'd be happy just because you make Twilight happy, but besides that you're, well, you. What kind of parent doesn't want somepony like you dating their daughter?"

Fluttershy picked up the little dragon and hugged him. "Oh thank you, Spike. You're right, both of you." Setting him down she looked back at the house. "And it is a lovely house, really."

Twilight couldn't believe Spike was growing so mature. When did this happen? "Keep talking like that and pretty soon Rarity won't be able to resist you."

"Really?" Spike said. "I mean, yeah, but who could blame her?" He slicked back his spines and did his best to look suave, causing both mares to giggle.

They continued to walk up to the house but were stopped before they could reach it. "I knew I heard voices out here." A moss green unicorn approached them from the house next door. "Why if it isn't little Twilight Sparkle. Well, you're not so little anymore, but I'll always remember the adorable little filly. And Spike, oh it's been ages, how are you?"

"Hello Ms. Ivy Jewel." Twilight answered. She smiled and glanced at Spike who raised an eyebrow skeptically. "We're doing well, thank you. How are you doing these days?" _'You old bat'_ she added in her head. Ivy Jewel had been nothing but trouble for her growing up, and had been known on occasion to voice her opinion against a dragon being raised by ponies. She was not fond of foals, and it seemed that always included Twilight no matter how old she was. That is, until Twilight was crowned and she changed her tone completely.

"Oh you know dear, I'm not getting any younger and this weather doesn't agree with me." Even as she said it she flipped her orange mane back, accentuating her beauty, which Twilight always assumed was more than a little magically augmented. "But enough about me, I don't believe I've met your friend here."

Fluttershy covered one eye with her mane and Twilight chose her words carefully. "This is Fluttershy, she's a friend of mine from Ponyville." Hopefully that would keep her off her rant about Twilight moving back to a proper city fit for her title, like say Canterlot, and settle down, and oh did she mention her son was single? "Fluttershy, this is Ivy Jewel, she was my neighbor back when I lived here." If Ivy caught the subtle jab that that was the extent of their relationship she didn't show it.

"Uhm, pleased to meet you." Fluttershy said.

"Oh, yes, likewise." Twilight noticed something in her look that wasn't entirely friendly. "Well, I won't keep you, I'm sure you're anxious to get out of this dreadful weather. But Twilight, do stop by and catch up while you're in town. I just know Silver Spark would love to see you too."

Twilight couldn't help but notice the invitation was only extended to her. "That sounds lovely." she lied. "I'll try and make some time, unfortunately this isn't purely a social visit. Princess Celestia requested my presence as well concerning a sensitive matter." She had no idea what Celestia wanted, and would not be at all surprised to find it was for nothing more than to catch up over tea, but she hoped leaving Ivy out of the loop would get under her skin. "Work never stops, you know how it is." She didn't. Ivy had been born into money and married into more of it. She had never actually worked a day in her life, as far as Twilight knew.

"Oh I certainly do." Ivy placed a hoof on her brow dramatically. "Enjoy yourselves while you can then. Say hello to your parents for me."

As they walked away Fluttershy gave Twilight a sideways glance. While she would have loved to explain her disdain for her former neighbor, the hag was still within earshot so Twilight just rolled her eyes.

When they reached the door they paused for a moment and Twilight smiled at Fluttershy, which she nervously returned. Twilight knocked on the door.

To Twilight's surprise it was Shining Armor who answered, wearing a blue Hearth's Warming sweater. "Twily! Spike!" He said, hugging them each in turn. "Hey Fluttershy." He added, extending a hoof to bump hers.

"Shining? It's good to see you, but I thought you wouldn't be here until Hearth's Warming." Twilight said.

"Well that was the plan, but we managed to clear up enough time to come a few days early. Cadance has been working so hard to get this vacation together." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Truth is there was kind of an incident. Everypony's okay, but she's kind of rattled. It involved a changeling."

"What!?" Twilight exclaimed before throwing a hoof over her mouth.

Shining Armor glanced inside before stepping out and shutting the door. "Like I said, everypony's fine. It was just one, no sign of Chrysalis or the hive, and the pony it was impersonating was found unharmed. We don't know what it was doing, but we doubt they'd try a full scale assault on the Crystal Empire, not after how the wedding worked out for them. All the same, Cadance has been on edge since it was discovered. I think being here will be a big help though."

Twilight nodded. "You know if there's anything at all we can do, please let us know."

"Thanks Twily. Right now we're still investigating, but I'll keep you updated. Oh, and there's one more thing I should warn you about." He smirked. "Somehow mom got it in her head that your mysterious guest was gonna be a coltfriend. Be prepared for an interrogation."

Spike snickered and Fluttershy blushed. "Trust me, I am." Twilight said. Shining didn't even notice everypony's reactions.

"Well, let's quit standing in the snow then." He opened the door and led the way inside.

As they entered the room Twilight felt herself thaw out. Foalhood memories washed over her as she took in the sites, everything just as she remembered. The normally classy decor was broken up with strands of colorful lights, tinsel, and wreaths. The fireplace crackled as Cadance and Twilight's parents sat around it, talking cheerfully. Everypony was wearing sweaters similar to Shining Armor's.

Cadance was the first to notice they had finally come inside. "Twilight, Spike! And Fluttershy, so good to see you again." As everypony came over for greetings and hugs Night Light looked visibly relieved that Cadance had reminded them Fluttershy's name. They hadn't seen her since Twilight's coronation, after all.

Once greetings were done everypony returned to the fire. Night Light pulled up three more chairs while Twilight Velvet offered cider. Fluttershy tried to politely decline but Twilight rolled her eyes and insisted they would both like some.

"Fluttershy, it's a pleasure to have you here." Twilight Velvet said once all the guests were taken care of. "We never get to see enough of Twilight's friends."

"You know she never did get along with fillies her own age." Night Light said. "She'd only ever play with her brothers or Shining's friends, playing that, what was it? Dungeons something?"

"Oubliettes and Ogres." Shining and Twilight answered together, him with a grin and her with an eyeroll.

"Yeah, that. Well, I'm just glad she finally opened up to other ponies."

"Although, you could bring a stallion home sometime." Twilight Velvet said, broaching the topic in record time. "A beautiful mare like you must have tons of suitors."

"Told you." Shining shrugged.

"Uhm, well…" Twilight began.

"Oh, I know." Twilight Velvet waved a hoof. "In your own time, dear. I'm sure you're far too busy these days to even think about love."

Twilight looked at Fluttershy who nodded encouragingly, but before she could fortify her will Cadance spoke up. "Oh, I don't know. Something tells me it's been on her mind a lot lately."

Twilight blushed furiously as all eyes fell on her. "Really?" Twilight Velvet asked, leaning forward in her chair.

Taking a deep breath Twilight addressed the room. "Mom, dad, everypony." She took Fluttershy's hoof in her own. Twilight couldn't believe she wasn't hiding in her mane when that's exactly what Twilight wished she herself was doing. "The reason I asked Fluttershy to come here with me is because, well, she's my marefriend."

Cadance reacted first, clapping her hooves. Shining Armor looked confused, seemingly slow to realize she meant marefriend romantically and not a mare who was her friend. Twilight Velvet's mouth fell open but she only took a moment to collect herself and join in with the clapping. Night Light looked surprised, but was smiling nonetheless. When they first came in he had elected to just give Fluttershy a friendly hoof bump, now he walked over give her a hug instead. "Welcome to the family."

Twilight and Fluttershy beamed as everypony offered their congratulations.

"Ooh! I'll go get the camera! We need pictures." Night Light said, running up stairs.

"That reminds me, I have something for you two." Twilight Velvet followed after him.

Shining Armor approached the young couple. "You know, normally as B.B.B.F.F. it's my duty to warn you not to break my little sister's heart, but I think we can trust the Element of Kindness on this one." He gave Fluttershy a hug and checked that their parents were out of earshot. "So something tells me that somepony here has known for a while now." He looked at Cadance who didn't even try to deny it.

"Twilight wanted advice and I _am_ sort of an expert." she said. "What gave me away?"

"All the letters you two were writing, not to mention the squeals of joy."

"I do not squeal." Cadance crossed her forelegs.

Shining grinned at Twilight. "After every letter. Just don't let mom know you told Cadance before her or she'll freak out."

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Twilight asked. "We'd never hear the end of it."

Cadance came over and pulled the two of them into a group hug. "I'm so happy for both of you. But remember relationships are never easy. If either of you ever need advice please let me know. That goes for you too, Fluttershy." Fluttershy nodded.

"Actually, there is something." Twilight said. "Fluttershy doesn't believe me about the cuddles."

"What?" Cadance's face fell. "Fluttershy, cuddles are the most important part of being a princess."

Fluttershy looked between the two princesses, who both looked deathly serious. Turning to Shining Armor didn't help either. "Consider yourself lucky." he said. "Friendship probably isn't as needy as love."

"I'm not needy." Cadance insisted.

"You're cuddling me right now!" Shining Armor gestured to her forelegs which were wrapped around him.

Fluttershy shook her head and gave up on trying to figure out if they were serious. She leaned her head on Twilight's shoulder. "Everypony's so nice, I can't believe how nervous I was. Your family's the best, Twi."

Twilight kissed her on the head while Cadance failed to contain her squeal of joy. As Twilight and Fluttershy blushed a flash went off near them. Twilight was surprised to see Night Light wasn't pointing the camera at her and Fluttershy, but at Cadance.

"How long have you been waiting to take that picture?" Cadance asked.

"Pff years." Night Light said. "You always gush over ponies in love and now you can't deny it."

"Hmmph." Cadance crossed her forelegs. "It's not my fault they're so adorable." she grumbled. Shining put a foreleg around her to comfort her, but Cadance was having none of it. Fluttershy giggled.

"Seriously though. Don't tell your mother Cadance already knew." Night Light said, winding the camera. "Now, smile."

By the time Twilight Velvet returned everypony was blinking away spots from their vision. "Fluttershy, I have something to show you."

' _Oh no.'_ Twilight thought. _'Please don't be the photo album...'_

"The family photo album!"

Twilight, Shining, and Spike exchanged miserable looks while Cadance, Fluttershy, and Night Light crowded around Twilight Velvet and the book.

"Aww, Twi, you were so adorable!" Fluttershy exclaimed. Twilight threw her hooves over her face as she tried not to imagine which embarrassing photo she was looking at.

"And Shiny, you were… kinda a dork." Cadance teased.

"Hey!"

"Fine. You were a cute dork."

Spike was the first of the siblings to give up on the protest. "Check out that good looking guy." he said, after he had climbed atop Twilight Velvet's shoulders. "Looking good even as a hatchling."

Somewhat reluctantly Twilight made her way over to the book, soon followed by Shining. Before too long they forgot they were supposed to be miserable and everypony was enjoying reliving and sharing old memories, laughing at their siblings and occasionally themselves.

"Oh I remember that!"

"Woah, look at those braces, yikes."

"Oh, is that when Cadance was your foal sitter?"

"Aww that one's so cute!"

"Burn it. Burn it now."

"I think this one's my favorite. Or maybe that one."

It seemed almost too soon that the pictures came to a stop, with plenty of pages still to go. "Time for a new group photo?" Night Light asked.

"Not quite" Twilight Velvet said. She pulled out three boxes she had set aside and handed one each to Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy.

Spike tore into his immediately. "Already? But Hearth's Warming isn't for two more days." Fluttershy said.

"Oh, this is just a little something. Family tradition." Twilight Velvet said.

Twilight, already knowing what was inside, opened her box. Sure enough, inside her box was a red Hearth's Warming sweater. She pulled it on and saw Spike was already wearing his, a blue one, which looked similar to Shining Armor's.

"Looking good there Spike." Shining said, pointing his hooves at the dragon.

"You know it!" Spike said, pointing back to Shining.

Fluttershy, finally convinced it was okay to open her present, pulled out a green sweater. "Oh my, it's lovely, thank you."

"You're welcome, dear. I may need to make some adjustments though, I did make it with a stallion in mind after all." Twilight Velvet sat next to Fluttershy and levitated over her knitting supplies. "Hmm, it doesn't actually look too bad. Thankfully Spike was a big help."

"Ah, it was nothing." Spike said. "All I really did was ask Rarity about the size."

"Well, Twilight certainly wasn't giving me anything to go on." Twilight Velvet said.

Twilight looked at the ground guiltily. She felt silly now for how long it had taken her to work up the courage to tell her parents about Fluttershy.

Glancing at the clock Night Light said "I think I'll go start on dinner."

"I'll help!" Spike ran after Night Light. "Can we make some of new dishes I've been working on?"

"Of course we can!" Night Light said as they disappeared into the kitchen.

"Did you make all these yourself?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yup. I never really did like knitting, but I've gotten used to it over the years."

"Oh, I hope I'm not being a bother. You really don't have to worry about adjusting it." Fluttershy said. "I usually wear Twilight's and those are a little big for me anyway."

Twilight Velvet chuckled. "I'm glad somepony does." she said. "I'm lucky if I can get Twilight to wear hers all through Hearth's Warming."

"Hey, I do too wear them." Twilight crossed her forelegs. "Alicorns just don't get as cold as unicorns."

"Cadance wears hers" Twilight Velvet pointed out.

"Twi, even aunt Celestia still wears hers." Cadance said.

"Spike's been wearing them for weeks, and he's a dragon." Fluttershy added.

Twilight looked around the room eyes falling on the one pony who hadn't sided against her. "Hey don't look at me." Shining said. "I'm wearing mine. Besides, you never wore them when you _were_ a unicorn."

Twilight let her eyes fall to the floor again. "...but it's itchy."

"Oh it's not that bad." Twilight Velvet insisted. "Besides, it's only once a year, and it's a tradition. One I hope you'll continue on as well."

There were a number of things wrong with that. One was that Twilight hated knitting. Two was that she was bad at it. Three was that without a stallion it was pretty unlikely she'd ever have foals. Four was that she _really_ hated knitting. Still, she knew that pointing this out would only make her mom sad, not to mention she would never force Twilight into keeping the tradition if she didn't want to, so Twilight kept her mouth closed.

"Oh, I love knitting!" Fluttershy said, noticing Twilight's reluctance. "I'd be happy to keep up the tradition." Catching what she had implied Fluttershy began stammering. "Oh, I mean if, well.. not that we'll definitely be, uhm…" she trailed off as Twilight Velvet wrapped a foreleg around her shoulder.

"That would be lovely." she said. "Such a sweet mare, it's no wonder Twilight fell for you." Fluttershy and Twilight both turned red. "Now, I want to hear the whole story. How did you two get together?"

Twilight told the story with occasional input from Fluttershy. She omitted the parts where she wrote to Cadance for advice and argued with Rainbow Dash, as well as downplaying Applejack's reaction, but otherwise told the full story. When she was done she was surprised to find her mom giving her a dirty look.

"Seven months? You waited _seven months_ to tell me about this? all those letters, and not so much as 'hey mom, I have a marefriend now?'"

"I'm sorry, it's just… hard to talk about."

"Twilight, how could you even think we'd have a problem with it? We always taught you to never judge other ponies, especially for something like whom they decide to love. And all those years of letting me prattle on about finding a coltfriend."

"But that's why I was scared to tell you!" Twilight retorted more forcefully than she had intended. Fluttershy looked like she wanted to be anywhere but in between the two of them, while Twilight Velvet just frowned and waited for Twilight to explain. Cadance mimed her deep breath technique, which Twilight mimicked before continuing in a calmer tone. "Of course I know that you don't have any problem with gay ponies, but it felt like it was different for me because I'm your daughter. All those years in every letter and conversation of how I should find a coltfriend, settle down, and raise foals. I felt like you had this whole life planned for me and I was terrified I'd be letting you down."

"Oh Twily." While Twilight had been confessing her fears to the floor her mom had moved to stand next to her. "Don't ever think I could be anything but proud of you. And I'm sorry, I never meant to put so much pressure on you. I just want you to be happy."

As the mother and daughter embraced there was another flash. Shining Armor held up the camera. "Well, dad can't be here to get all the cheesy family moments." Both Twilights threw pillows at him as he ducked behind the couch.

Twilight Velvet returned to Fluttershy's sweater. "You're so much like me you know. I was afraid if I didn't push you to look for somepony you'd never do it yourself. We can't always count on somepony like Night Light to stick around like a lovestruck foal."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, Twilight wasn't the only one to have difficulty with other ponies. When I was younger all I wanted to do was write. I thought I couldn't worry about silly things like love, I wanted to see my name in print. Then when I did get published it was on to the next book." Twilight Velvet said. Cadance levitated over a picture of a much younger Twilight Velvet triumphantly holding a book with her name on it.

"So while I was writing my fourth novel I found I needed to know more about how the stars effect magic. Of course I went to the library, but it's a very complicated field and I never did have Twilight's enthusiasm for non-fiction. So I decided to get the answers from somepony directly. I arranged a meeting with the most renowned astronomer of the day. Then he cancelled at the last minute and I got stuck with his assistant instead." Cadance replaced the picture with one of Night Light standing in front of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. He was in a jacket and tie which set him aside from the students, though he hardly seemed much older than them.

"Night Light was, of course, the perfect gentlecolt. He was very helpful and patient with every question I had. As I wrote my way through the book we met up several times and he'd occasionally make house calls just to see if he could help in anyway. Young and naive as I was I honestly thought he was just overly helpful. Eventually I finished the book, thanked him for his help, and promised him a place in the acknowledgements. I thought that would be the end of our relationship but on the day I handed the final draft in to the publisher he asked me out on a date."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Fluttershy said.

"Yup." Night Light said, entering the room with Spike. They were in matching flower aprons. "And she said, 'well I thank you for everything you've done the only romance I have time for is in between the pages of a book.'"

Fluttershy was surprised. "You turned him down?"

"Yes, but he was persistent. Once the book came out I was doing a signing and he showed up early. He said he just wanted to help set up and make sure everything went smoothly, but as everypony left he stuck around. He waited there at the bookstore with me until the sun was going down, then he pulled out his own copy. At first I thought he had just felt awkward to ask a pony he already knew for an autograph, but when he handed it to me I noticed there was a letter in it as a bookmark. When I opened the page, sure enough, it was a love letter and he had highlighted one of the passages."

Cadance replaced the picture with a book. "It's on page eighty-six."

Flipping to the page Fluttershy read outloud. "'I only have one chance to do this, he thought to himself. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he failed. But as the sun faded and the first stars appeared, his gaze turned to the sky. As he watched the twilight sparkle he knew this was meant to be, and everything would work out.'"

Twilight Velvet and Night Light looked into each other's eyes. "And it certainly did." he said.

"That's the sweetest story I've ever heard." Fluttershy said. As she reached for Twilight's hooves Twilight instead threw them around her, pulling the surprised pegasus into a tight hug.

Twilight had kind of always thought the story was silly. The stallion in the book wasn't even talking about love, he was trying to save Baltimare, and her dad had only chosen it because it used the word 'twilight'. But for the first time she understood how her dad must have had felt chasing after the mare of his dreams, even when it felt like a long shot. "I love you, Shy."

"I love you too, Twi." Fluttershy said, blushing.

Spike looked at Shining Armor and Cadance. "Don't you two start." he said.

"Nah, I was just thinking those stories lacked action." Shining Armor said. " _I_ had to stand up to an obnoxious bully to win over Cadance."

Twilight laughed, which turned into a yawn. "Hey, I know you already heard the story, but that's a bit much." Shining protested.

"Sorry." Twilight said. "It's just that we didn't really sleep much last night."

"Dinner won't be ready for a few more hours. Why don't you two take a nap and I'll wake you up in a bit." Night Light suggested.

"That sounds nice." Fluttershy said. Twilight just yawned again.

"Before you go, try this on." Twilight Velvet handed Fluttershy her sweater.

Slipping it on Fluttershy smiled. "It's perfect, thank you so much!"

"I'm glad you like it. Now go get some rest."

Twilight led the way to their room. "Is this your old bedroom?" Fluttershy asked.

"What gave it away?" Twilight asked jokingly. There were still posters of Starswirl the Bearded, Clover the Clever, and other great magic pioneers, as well as a few smaller ones of Daring Do and a framed picture of A. K. Yearling signed 'To my #1 fan, Twilight Sparkle.'

"Just a hunch." Fluttershy giggled.

They turned off the lights and layed down on the bed. "Sorry my family's a little crazy." Twilight said. "Hope it's not too much."

"Please don't apologize." Fluttershy said. "They're perfect. I wish I had a family like yours. Everypony loves each other so much, even when they disagree."

Fluttershy didn't like to talk about her family. All Twilight knew was that her parents died before she came to Ponyville and Rainbow Dash was all that she had left. "You heard my dad." Twilight said, hoping she wasn't crossing a line. "You're part of the family now."

In the dark it was hard to tell what Fluttershy's reaction was, but when she latched on to Twilight as she shimmied under the blankets, Twilight thought she had a pretty good idea. "Thank you so much Twily. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Twilight smirked "Well, you wouldn't be stuck sharing a bed meant for one pony in an itchy sweater."

"That just means that we'll have to snuggle extra close. And I love the sweater. She still makes them even though she doesn't like knitting, it just shows how much love is in them."

"Yeah. You're right." Twilight murmured, already half asleep. The last thing she was aware of was Fluttershy stroking her mane as she drifted into sleep.


	10. Things Kept Inside

"Twilight, Fluttershy, dinner's ready." Spike called through the door.

"Kay." Twilight murmured before rolling over and wrapping a hoof around Fluttershy. "Morning beautiful."

Fluttershy laughed. "Twily, it's dinner time."

"Good evening then"

Fluttershy was prepared for her daily struggle of convincing Twilight to get out of bed but to her surprise after a quick kiss the alicorn was already rising. Fluttershy rubbed her eyes as Twilight lit the room. Rather than actually turning on the lightbulb she created a glowing orb that gave them enough light to see without blinding them.

"Ugh, I shouldn't have slept in this thing. Even if it is made with love it's itchy." Twilight rubbed beneath her sweater furiously.

"It's not that bad. Besides, it's cute on you." After all this time Fluttershy still felt a little weird complimenting her marefriend, but Twilight's smile made it worth it.

As they made their way downstairs Fluttershy could smell the wonderful aroma of dinner and realized exactly how hungry she was. They entered the dining room as Night Light was setting down the last tray of food.

"Oh my." Fluttershy was amazed at how much food they had made.

"Just wait until you see what they do for Hearth's Warming." Twilight said.

"Evening girls, sleep well?" Twilight Velvet asked.

"Yes, I feel much better now." Twilight said. Fluttershy nodded.

Night Light noticed Fluttershy eyeballing the food and grinned. "Before we can eat there's one more thing to do. Everypony gather round."

Everypony came together as Night Light set up his camera. Twilight Velvet stood in the middle with Twilight on her left. Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder and Spike used it as a boost to pop up over Twilight's head, while Shining Armor and Cadance stood on Twilight Velvet's other side. Night light set the timer and ran over to stand between Twilight Velvet and Shining Armor. "Everypony smile!" he said. Right as the flash went off Twilight kissed Fluttershy on the cheek.

"Perfect." Night Light said as everypony took seats at the table. The table was large and round, leaving Fluttershy to question how anypony would get to the food in the middle before remembering that except for her and Spike everypony could use magic. Twilight sat next to Shining Armor, with Spike on Fluttershy's other side. In front of them was enough lasagna for everypony to eat their fill and then some, with enough sides to make a meal by themselves.

"Did you two make all this?" Fluttershy asked as Night Light took his seat next to Spike.

"And dessert too!" Spike said excitedly.

Even on Hearth's Warming day Fluttershy couldn't imagine making a meal this big. Of course Hearth's Warming was usually just her and Rainbow Dash, on occasion Rainbow's parents whenever they were trying to make up for lost time with their daughter. She had been worried about leaving Rainbow alone on the holiday, but she wound up getting invited to dinner with Scootaloo's family this year. "Everything smells so good." she said.

"Thanks." Night Light said. "Hopefully it tastes even better." He poured everypony drinks, offering wine, juice, water, and milk. Twilight chose wine while Fluttershy asked for juice. Spike tried asking if he could have a glass of wine but retracted his request at the collective glare from both Twilights.

"Before everypony begins I'd just like to thank you all for coming." Twilight Velvet said. "I know everypony's busy, and the holidays are no exception. This old house just doesn't feel the same without you all in it. And of course a big welcome to the newest member of our family. I hope you know we're always here if you need us."

"Yeah, you're stuck with us now." Shining Armor said.

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. She would have liked to say 'thank you' but she didn't trust herself to speak. Being accepted so readily into Twilight's family was more than she could have imagined, and she could feel herself on the verge of tears.

"To family." Night Light said, raising his glass.

"To family!" Everypony echoed.

After the toast five different magic auras began shuffling plates around. Fluttershy had never ate in a unicorn household and was surprised anypony knew what was going on with their plates. As every plate came their way Twilight made sure Fluttershy got what she wanted before levitating them away. For a minute Fluttershy was so mesmerized with all the food in the air she forgot about the food on her plate.

"Yeah, it's kind of crazy." Spike said. "You get used to it after awhile."

"Oh. Was it weird, not being able to use magic when everypony else could?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah. I was pretty jealous for awhile, until I realized there were things only I could do, like breathe fire. Besides," Spike held up his claws. "I'd rather have claws than hooves anyday."

Once all the plates had settled everypony finally began eating. Fluttershy could certainly see where Spike had learned to cook, everything was delicious.

"That's hollandaise sauce." Night Light replied when Fluttershy asked.

"It's so good." Fluttershy said. "I'm surprised you didn't decide to become a cook."

Night Light chuckled. "Oh, I don't think I'm _that_ good. I just learned some things here and there cooking for a family of five."

"We learned it's best if I just stay out of the kitchen." Twilight Velvet said. "I don't know how I ever managed before Night Light."

"Mom's cooking is still better than Twilight's" Spike whispered holding a claw up to his mouth.

"I heard that." Twilight snapped as Fluttershy giggled.

"Twi's not that bad." Fluttershy said. Twilight gave Spike a victorious look. "She can make, uhm, sandwiches."

Spike almost laughed himself out of his chair. Twilight turned and pouted. "See if I make you sandwiches anymore."

"Mares like us are simply too focused on other things to worry about cooking." Twilight Velvet said.

Night Light and Spike huddled together. "Or cleaning." Spike said.

"Watering the flowers." Night Light added.

"Remembering to feed the pets."

"Remembering to turn off the lights."

Both Twilights glared at the homemakers. Night Light at least looked embarrassed, Spike just shrugged and returned to his food.

"So Fluttershy," Twilight Velvet pointedly ignored her husband and son, "tell us a little more about yourself."

Fluttershy always hated talking about herself. She looked to Twilight for help but her marefriend gave no sign of acknowledgement, probably still mad about the sandwich comment. "Well, I, uhm… I take care of the animals in Ponyville."

"Like a veterinarian?" Twilight Velvet asked.

"No. Well, sometimes. But mostly I feed and take care of the wild animals."

"Ponyville has way more wild animals than Canterlot." Spike added.

"Wild animals? That sounds a bit dangerous." Twilight Velvet said.

"Oh, no. They're really all such sweethearts. You just have to know how to behave around them." Fluttershy said.

"She can even talk to them." Spike said. "She understands them and everything."

"Really? I didn't know ponies could learn to understand animals." Twilight Velvet said.

"Well, I didn't so much learn it. Understanding animals is just something that came naturally to me when I first came to Ponyville."

"Where were you from originally?" Night Light asked.

Fluttershy felt her heart drop. There were so many ways this could go wrong. Why wasn't she more careful with what she said? "I was born in Cloudsdale."

"Fascinating place." Night Light said. "Is that where your family lives?"

There it was. "Oh, uhm… Well, Rainbow moved to Ponyville with me. I, uhm, don't really have any other family." Fluttershy told her plate. Suddenly she could feel everypony's eyes on her.

"Oh you poor dear." Twilight Velvet said.

Under the table Fluttershy felt Twilight's hoof find hers. She could leave it there. That's all anypony really needed to know. She was so tired of secrets, but she also didn't want to ruin dinner when everypony was so happy. She felt Twilight's hoof squeeze hers and made a decision. "And, well, I don't speak with Stormy Skies. My, uhm, father." She looked at Twilight. She had told Twilight, told everypony, that he was dead. Would Twilight be mad that she lied to her? And what would happen when she knew the whole truth? There was no way she'd still want to stay with her. Twilight's look held concern and maybe a little curiosity, but she didn't press Fluttershy to say more.

"You know we're all here for you." Night Light said. "If there's anything you want to talk about or anyway we can help just let us know."

"Thank you." Fluttershy said. "But I'm fine. It's something I've moved past a long time ago." Something about Twilight's look made Fluttershy suspect she didn't believe that.

"Of course." Night Light said, setting a hoof on Twilight Velvet's, who had just opened her mouth to ask something else. She closed it but didn't look happy about leaving things there.

"So, mom, what are you reading now?" Twilight asked.

"Equestrian Gods. Have you read it yet?" Twilight Velvet practically had to pry her eyes off Fluttershy to address her daughter.

"No, what's it about?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy squeezed her hoof and smiled as a silent thank you, which Twilight returned.

Everypony sat at the dinner table until well after everypony had eaten their fill. Even when the conversation turned towards Fluttershy nopony asked about her family or life in Cloudsdale. She found she was having an easier time talking about herself than usual, and whenever she had trouble finding a response Twilight or Spike would come to her rescue.

"So anypony ready for dessert?" Night Light asked, looking directly at Spike, who sat straight up.

"I ate too much." Shining Armor grumbled.

Cadance grinned. "Oh, he'll change his mind once he has something else in front of him."

Night Light disappeared into the kitchen, returning with two platters. The big one, which he set in the center of the table, had a large cheesecake topped with strawberries. The smaller one, which he set in front of Spike, had a miniature version of the cheesecake, but with red gemstones replacing the strawberries. As Cadance had predicted now that he had food in front of him Shining Armor sat upright with his plate ready, his enthusiasm only rivaled by Spike.

"So, Fluttershy, have you ever had a chance to go sightseeing in Canterlot?" Twilight Velvet asked.

"Not really." Fluttershy said, after savoring a bite of the rich dessert. "We mostly just visit the castle while we're here, and even then it's usually only when the Elements of Harmony are needed." By the time Fluttershy felt Twilight kick her under the table it was too late.

Twilight Velvet frowned slightly. "I worry about you girls so much. All that dangerous business." Fluttershy noticed everypony glance around at each other. They all looked afraid of saying anything.

"Now honey, I'm sure Princess Celestia would never ask them to do anything they couldn't handle." Night Light said. Fluttershy got the impression that maybe Twilight didn't tell her mom the full story of most of their exploits.

"I know, but sometimes I feel like she relies on them too much. Like when that Tirek was stealing everypony's magic. I couldn't believe the princesses let it get that far, and then left Twilight to take care of it." Twilight Velvet said.

"That was a complicated situation." Twilight deflected.

"We had every confidence that Twilight could take care of it." Cadance said.

Twilight Velvet smiled at her daughter-in-law. "Oh, I didn't mean you Cadance dear. Of course I wouldn't expect you to take care of it either." Twilight and Cadance exchanged annoyed looks.

"Mom we'll be fine." Twilight said. "We've been through a lot, but we're never alone. We look out for each other, and there's nopony I'd rather have looking out for me than my friends. They're the reason I know no matter what happens that everything will be okay. So please, don't worry so much about us."

"Twilight, I'm your mother, I can't just not worry about you." She looked around the table. "All of you. I never could have imagined everything you have all accomplished, everything you've all grown into. Twi, when you became Princess Celestia's personal student, and Shiny, when you became captain of the royal guard, I thought nopony could ever ask for more. Then you did more! Now you're the Princess of Friendship _and_ one of the Elements of Harmony, and you're the Prince of the Crystal Empire, and even Spike, you're still a kid by pony or dragon standards and you've still helped save both Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, and there's probably more that I know nopony's telling their mother about." Everypony looked around not meeting anypony's eyes. Even Spike who normally stood proud whenever anypony talked about his accomplishments just sat idly with his claws in his lap. "And I wouldn't change any of that for the world. No mother has ever been as proud as I am of you all. But with all these titles comes all this danger."

Nopony knew what to say. Eventually Night Light cleared his throat. "Well, if everypony's done with dessert we'd better get these dishes taken care of." he said. Twilight Velvet nodded in agreement.

"I'll help." Fluttershy and Cadance offered at once.

"Thank you girls, but we've got it." Night Light said as he and Twilight Velvet levitated the dishes into the kitchen.

Once they closed the door Twilight dropped her head onto the table. "I can't believe I forgot to warn you not to mention Element stuff to mom." Twilight said.

"I'm sorry." Fluttershy said.

"Don't worry about it." Shining Armor said. "You didn't know." Fluttershy still couldn't help but feel guilty.

"It _would_ be nice if she at least considered us real princesses." Twilight said.

Cadance smiled. "It's kind of endearing. We'll always be her little fillies."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Are you really saying it doesn't bother you?"

"Well…" Cadance's smile faded. "Okay, it does a little."

Everypony awkwardly made their way back into the living room and waited for somepony else to break the silence. Eventually Shining turned to Fluttershy. "You know, if you haven't ever seen the town there's tons to check out. Maybe me and Cadance can show you around tomorrow."

"That'd be nice." Fluttershy said. "Uhm, if you don't mind, that is."

"Of course we don't. It'll be fun." Cadance said, smiling.

"Ooh! I know where we can go!" Twilight said, grinning with excitement.

"We're _not_ spending all day going to different museums." Shining said, giving his sister a deadpan expression that suggested he'd let her make the itinerary a few too many times.

Twilight turned and pouted. "Well, maybe not _all_ day…" She turned to Fluttershy, giving her the puppy dog eyes. "But maybe we can go to the Equestrian History Museum? They've got an exhibit on prehistoric animals I'm sure you'll love."

Fluttershy was sure she'd like the animal exhibit. She was also sure they'd probably wind up spending more time than anypony but Twilight wanted to at every other exhibit as well. Still, there was simply no way she could say no to that face. "Well… maybe just one museum would be okay."

"Yes! You won't regret it!" Twilight hugged her and when she thought Fluttershy couldn't see stuck her tongue out at Shining, who was sitting with his forelegs crossed.

"Well, you can count me out." Spike said. "I've seen enough of Canterlot, and way too much of the Equestrian History Museum. I'd rather just stay here." He stretched and leaned back in his chair, which was almost big enough for him to lay down in given how small he was. Fluttershy was reminded that he had been up just as early as her and Twilight and had been busy cooking while they took a nap. Cadance and Shining Armor didn't look much better.

Soon Twilight Velvet and Night Light came in. Twilight Velvet looked a little embarrassed at her earlier display. "We're gonna turn in for the night." Night Light said. He smiled when he noticed Spike. "Looks like we aren't the only ones with that idea."

Spike waved a claw without opening his eyes. "I'm not sleepy."

Twilight Velvet chuckled and lifted him in her magic. "Come on Spike. Maybe Twilight is a little lax with bedtimes, but as long as you're here you'll be going to bed at a decent hour. You're still a growing boy and you need your rest."

Spike looked at Twilight, but she just shrugged. "Sorry Spike, but you know the rules. Sleep tight."

As they went upstairs to bring him to his room Spike seems to accept his fate, even if he did it with a scowl. Fluttershy was sure despite his protests he would be out as soon as he hit the bed. Cadance and Shining Armor didn't wait long before deciding to call it a day as well, leaving Twilight and Fluttershy to themselves.

Fluttershy leaned against her marefriend. "I can't believe how nice everypony's been."

Twilight grinned. "It's not that surprising. I mean, who wouldn't love you?"

Fluttershy nudged her. "So you weren't even a little nervous?"

"Well, okay, maybe I was a little bit worried. But I should have known better. I mean, they're my family, I know them better than that."

"Hmm, I bet that's how it'll be when we tell everypony about us." Fluttershy said. Being so accepted by Twilight's family made Fluttershy even more resolved to finally tell Twilight she wanted to come out. If they could accept Twilight dating a mare then why should anypony else have a problem with it?

"Maybe." Twilight said, shifting in her seat.

Fluttershy wrapped a wing around her marefriend. "Are you nervous?"

Twilight smiled. "Kind of. But I know we'll get through it alright."

' _Okay, this is it. Just tell her the truth.'_ Fluttershy forced a smile. "So, I, uhm…" Twilight turned to her and Fluttershy looked away. "I love you, Twily."

Twilight tilted her head to the side. "I love you too, Shy. Is something wrong?"

"No." Fluttershy answered too quickly. "I mean, uhm… I was just wondering…" She nuzzled against Twilight's neck, hiding her face away. She couldn't do this. She couldn't ask Twilight to tell everypony about her. She was being selfish.

Twilight hugged her closely. "Come on, Shy, you can tell me anything. What's on your mind?"

"Well… I was wondering when, uhm, when you think we should tell other ponies." Fluttershy closed closed her eyes tightly. She knew better, but some part of her still expected Twilight to be angry that she'd even ask something like that.

"I don't know. I guess…" Fluttershy opened her eyes to see Twilight tapping a hoof on her chin before shaking her head. "Well, we're still on vacation now. Let's worry about that after we get back to Ponyville."

Fluttershy kept her head on Twilight's shoulder so she wouldn't notice the frown. "You're right." she said. Twilight _did_ have a point. Even if Fluttershy was ready they could at least wait until they were back in Ponyville.

"What do you say, Shy? Ready for bed?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." Fluttershy said. The nap earlier had helped but she was definitely looking forward to a good night's sleep. She followed Twilight up to the bedroom.

"So, Shy…" Twilight said as she closed the door behind them. Fluttershy frowned, she knew what question that was coming. She had been expecting it since dinner. "Why didn't you ever tell me your dad was still alive?"

Fluttershy sat on the bed. She looked at Twilight, trying to read her expression, but the alicorn's face remained impassive. "I just… I don't like to talk about him."

"Okay." Twilight said. She looked away for a moment before turning back with a concerned look. "Well… do you mind if I ask what happened between you two?"

How could she explain? Twilight's family was so perfect, the worst that she was used to was when her mom was _too_ worried about her. So instead she just smiled. She was fine now, there was no reason to talk about him. "We just… don't see eye to eye. It's fine Twily, it really is something I put behind me a long time ago. And, uhm, I'd rather just leave it alone."

Twilight frowned, ears folded down. "Okay, if you're sure…" She pulled off her sweater and haphazardly tossed it on a dresser before climbing into bed next to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy snuggled against Twilight as the alicorn turned out the lights. She was glad the bed was so small, it meant Twilight wouldn't wonder why Fluttershy was extra close to her. She closed her eyes and focused on her marefriend's breathing. Everything was okay now. Twilight was holding her, and she was in the safest place in the world.


	11. Oubliettes & Ogres

As Fluttershy had expected they spent over half of their day seeing the sights in Canterlot at the Equestrian History Museum. She found she enjoyed it much more than she thought she would, and even though she didn't share Twilight's enthusiasm she certainly enjoyed it. The alicorn found everything on display fascinating and wouldn't hesitate to explain why. Fluttershy found she often enjoyed Twilight's explanations more than the displays, and would smile to herself as she imagined Twilight as a teacher, maybe to her own student, as Princess Celestia had been to her, or maybe someday to a little foal of their own. She didn't say anything out loud, and really she knew it was far too soon to think about things like that anyway.

While she was content with the museum, she felt bad for Shining Armor. The closest he came to enjoying himself seemed to be when he eventually realized that Cadance and Fluttershy were having fun and gave up on trying to hurry the day along. Still, once lunch time rolled around Cadance took the chance to recommend a restaurant far enough from the museum that they wouldn't be making a return trip.

The rest of the day they spent going around town, seeing local sites and visiting a few shops. As the day went on Fluttershy found herself wondering more and more what it would be like if they didn't have to hide their relationship. For the first couple months hiding things had been easier to her than it would have been to be open. Whenever they were alone she had always been worried about how she was supposed to act as Twilight's marefriend at a time when she couldn't see Twilight as being more than a friend. But slowly things changed, eventually she got more comfortable being affectionate. She wasn't sure how or when, but at some point when she said 'I love you' it wasn't just because she felt like she was supposed to. She really meant it, or at least she was pretty sure she did. She had to keep reminding herself keeping things secret was something they had agreed to, and that Twilight had said they would talk about it once they were back home. Still, she couldn't deny that it stung a little bit whenever she noticed Twilight put a little extra space between them, or how they'd only touch if Cadance was pulling them together for a group picture in front of a city landmark. As much as she enjoyed the day out she was happy to return to Twilight's parents, where her marefriend could be hers again.

As soon as they walked in they could smell cinnamon. That, along with the warmth, dispelled all of Fluttershy's concerns from earlier. "Welcome back. Have fun out in town?" Twilight Velvet asked. She was sitting by the fireplace with her nose in a book.

"Yeah, even if we did have to drag Twily out of the museum." Shining said.

"Oh come on, we didn't even go through the whole thing!" Twilight said

"Well there's always next time, dear." Twilight Velvet said, returning to her book. "Spike's in the kitchen, he's been waiting for you all to come back. He said he had an idea for something all of you could do together."

The closer they got to the kitchen the stronger the delightful smell got. Fluttershy already suspected what they'd find inside, and sure enough as soon as they opened the door they were greeted by Spike and Night Light, each mixing their own batter.

"Is that your special cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookies?" Cadance asked, savoring the aroma.

"Sure is." Night Light said. "Spike's working on some sugar cookies too."

"It smells amazing." Fluttershy said. "Would you like help with anything?"

"Hmm…" Night Light tapped on his chin, getting flour on his face in the process. "Well, we're almost done with these, and I think we made enough for everypony. We could definitely use your help tomorrow though, if you wouldn't mind."

"I'd love to." Fluttershy said. "You've all been so welcoming, I feel a little guilty. I'd like to do something to repay you."

"Nonsense. We're happy happy to have you here, you don't have to do a thing. If you want to help cook you're more than welcome to, but me, Spike, and Cadance can handle everything if you'd rather just take it easy." Night Light said.

"You might want to be careful what you get yourself into. Dad likes to go overboard for Hearth's Warming." Shining Armor warned.

"I never hear you complaining once everything's done." Night Light said with a grin.

Shining rubbed at his neck. "Well, that is true."

"I really would like to help. I do love cooking, I think it'll be fun cooking together." Fluttershy said.

"Speaking of doing something fun together I was thinking." Spike said. "We should all play Oubliettes and Ogres!"

Shining Armor grinned excitedly. "That's a great idea!"

Fluttershy had heard Twilight mention the game she used to play with her brothers, but didn't really know anything about it. She looked to Twilight to see what her thoughts on playing were and saw her and Cadance exchange worried looks. "I dunno Spike. It's a little complicated, and we're only here for a week. You know how long a full campaign can take." Twilight said.

"Hey, we went to your museum. You can deal with an O&O game." Shining said. "If we play with expedited rules we can probably get through a campaign before everypony leaves."

He did have a point, it _was_ only fair that they do something the boys wanted to do too."I've never played before. Is it fun?"

"It's like, the nerdiest game ever." Twilight said.

"Said the biggest nerd ever." Spike pointed out. "It's a great game, Fluttershy. It's all about making up a character and doing all sorts of things you can't normally do. I'm Guillaum, a griffin fighter."

"You fight griffins?" Fluttershy asked. That seemed like an odd thing to want to do.

Spike laughed. "No, my character _is_ a griffin. Fighter is my class, it's like what type of character you play. Like a sorcerer or a rogue."

Fluttershy thought about Sunset Shimmer and the journal. She almost felt like somepony else when she wrote in it, somepony brave who could talk to ponies she didn't know. She loved that feeling, and if she had any doubts seeing Spike so excited to play erased them. "It can't be that bad, Twi. What's your character?"

"I used to play as unicorn wizard named Crystal Gaze." Twilight said.

Fluttershy tilted her head to the side. "But you pretty much are a wizard."

"Me and Twily have been playing since we were kids." Shining said. "Back then we only dreamed of the kind of lives we'd have. Which is why I play a unicorn paladin, Brilliant Knight."

"Besides, not everypony plays characters they wish they could be. Some of us prefer to stay closer to what we're already familiar with." Cadance said.

"You play, too?" Fluttershy asked. She was surprised. Twilight really was the biggest nerd ever, which Fluttershy always found adorable, and she knew her brothers weren't far off, but Cadance didn't seem like the type of pony who would play something like this.

"Once and a while. Shiny plays every week with some of the guards, so I figured why not give it a shot? I'm Hopeful Heart, a pegasus cleric. And if you're playing I'll play too."

Spike turned to Twilight. "Please, Twi?"

"Fine. But don't blame me if you wind up bored. Or worse, addicted." Twilight grimaced.

"I think it sounds like a great idea. I'll get these cookies in the oven and bring some down to you once they're done." Night Light said. He looked at Spike as the excited dragon jumped off his chair and smiled. "Well, after somedragon washes up first. I don't think being covered in flour is part of the game."

As Spike ran to the bathroom to wash up the others went down into the basement, which was where Shining Armor and his friends used to play judging by the posters still on the wall. They were all of terrifying monsters and rugged heros. There was a table near a bookshelf, which Shining dusted off and set several of the books down on. Fluttershy walked over to the bookshelf to read the titles when a framed picture caught her eye. Just when she went to examine it a purple glow surrounded it and it flew behind Twilight's back.

"What was that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nothing." Twilight said, but her smile was a little too broad.

"It looked like a drawing." Fluttershy tried to look around Twilight but the picture was turned away from her.

"So, let's get to designing your character!" Twilight said

"Twily." Fluttershy gave her a look that made it clear she'd see the picture one way or another.

"Fine." Twilight levitated the picture to where Fluttershy could see it and frowned.

It was a crayon picture of a purple unicorn in a Star Swirl hat next to a larger white unicorn in gold armor.

"Twily drew that. Back then it was impossible to pull her away from an O&O game." Shining said.

Twilight kept the scowl but the blush ruined the effect. "It's adorable." Fluttershy said, nuzzling against Twilight.

"Why do we still have that thing." Twilight demanded.

"Because," Shining Armor said, "it's adorable."

Twilight dropped it on the shelf before sitting at the table and grabbing the nearest book to bury her face in. The cover read Oubliettes and Ogres Players Manual, 3rd edition.

"Are all those books just for this game?" Fluttershy asked. There were four different books stacked on the table, all tall hardcover books, at least a couple hundred pages a piece.

"Actually that's a pretty basic set. You should see what he has at home." Cadance said.

Shining began explaining the basics of the game, about how everypony made a character that they would play as and one pony would be the Game Master, in charge of everything else in the world. They usually had a quest that they would all band together to try and overcome, and some campaigns would last for years, with new quests being added as time went on. As he explained Spike joined them.

"Have you made a character yet?" Spike asked.

Cadance smiled. "We're getting there. It's only been ten minutes."

"Alright, so the first thing you should do is decide what class you want to be, followed by your race and alignment." Shining Armor said.

Twilight, who got over her embarrassment once there was something to explain, flipped to a page with a burly minotaur, which she explained was a barbarian. They flipped through the book and everypony gave their input on which classes were the best. Twilight and Shining mostly focused on stats and who was best in what situations, which more or less went over her head. Spike explained things in a way Fluttershy could actually understand, but his enthusiasm made it impossible for Fluttershy to make a decision. In the end it was Cadance whom Fluttershy decided to listen to, winding up as a druid.

"Alright, now which race do you want to be? Certain ones are better at different things, but you can be whichever you want." Shining Armor said.

"I don't know. Should I just be a pegasus?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight flipped to a page with a picture of a pegasus with two swords drawn and a bow strung to his back. "You can be if you want to, but pegasi excel at classes requiring agility." Twilight said. "They're usually rangers or rogues, although they don't make bad druids. Diamond dogs and minotaurs are probably the worst druids, but you could make that work too if you wanted to. Earth ponies and zebras have the strongest connection with nature, so they'd probably be your best bet."

"I think I'd like to be an earth pony then." Fluttershy said. In a lot of ways she felt like she was always meant to be an earth pony.

"Alright, now we need your alignment." Twilight flipped to a chart with nine boxes, ranging from lawful good to chaotic evil. "Me, Shining, and Spike are all lawful good. Some classes have restrictions. For example, as a wizard my magic works best when my character has an organized mind, which means being lawful, although I could have been lawful neutral or lawful evil if I wanted. Shining is a paladin so he didn't have a choice at all, all paladins are lawful good. Spike could have been anything he wanted, but he chose to be lawful good."

"I guess I want to be lawful good also." Fluttershy said. She certainly didn't want to play as a bad pony.

"Actually, druids are impassive like nature, which means you have to be some sort of neutral. You could be lawful neutral or neutral good though." Twilight offered.

"Oh. Is that bad?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, my character is neutral good." Cadance said. "It means she prefers to do good even when it goes against the established order."

"Okay. That sounds good." Fluttershy said.

"Right. That's the big stuff out of the way. Now for the details." Shining Armor said.

As they went over stats, starting equipment, age, and so many more things Fluttershy questioned if this was such a good idea after all. Twilight and Shining debated everything back and forth while Cadance and Spike helped her fill out her character sheet while they were distracted. Fluttershy was happy to hear that she got to have an animal companion. Her first thought was to pick a rabbit, but Spike convinced her to choose a hawk since her character wouldn't have wings to fly herself.

Fluttershy was dozing off when Spike finally said "Alright, all that's left is your name."

"Sky Shimmer." Fluttershy said. She had decided that immediately when they first started to talk about playing.

"You want a pegasus name as an earth pony?" Spike asked.

"Is that bad? I could change it." Fluttershy tried to think of an earth pony name. Maybe she could be named Posey?

"It's fine." Twilight said. "Any race can have any name. Maybe it could even be part of your character's backstory if you want. She could have pegasus parents or something."

"Fine." Spike said as he filled in the last blank space on her character's page. "So who's GM?"

"I am." Twilight and Shining said at the same time.

"Twily, if you're the gamemaster she'll never want to play again." Shining said.

"What? I'm a great gamemaster!" Twilight said. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to play this game, you should be happy we even agreed in the first place."

"Yeah, you're great at pounding players into the ground." Shining said.

"Do you really think I'm going to go out of my way to make things miserable?" Twilight asked.

"I have an idea." Cadance said. She leaned in close to Shining and whispered conspiratorially. As she talked he began to smile.

"Okay, you can be GM, but there's a condition. We'll play the Nachtmahr campaign."

"Fine." Twilight said.

"And Crystal Gaze will be the hostage." Shining said.

"That's ridiculous!" Twilight said.

Fluttershy looked to Spike for an explanation but he just shrugged. Shining elaborated. "In Nachtmahr the evil spirit Mara is trying to rule Equestria. She takes a pure hearted pony hostage to sacrifice on the full moon and the adventurers try to stop her before then. As gamemaster Twilight wouldn't have to be one of the adventurer's so instead her character will be the one we're trying to save. That way if she kills us then she losses too."

"Not happening. That idea's dumb." Twilight said.

"What do you think, Fluttershy?" Cadance asked. "Do you want to try and be Twilight's hero?"

Fluttershy mirrored the puppy dog eyes Twilight had used to get her to go to the museum. The alicorn's expression went from exasperation to resignation. "Alright fine. But what makes you so sure I won't make it super easy?" she asked.

"Because you're still you, and nopony's ever survived one of your campaigns." Shining Armor said. "Maybe this will tone it down, but I get the feeling rescuing you won't be all that easy."

Twilight grinned. "You know, I can still kill you and let the others finish the campaign."

Shining's grin was identical to his sister's. "You can try."

"Just remember while we're playing you're not Fluttershy, you're Sky Shimmer, and you don't know any of us." Cadance said. Fluttershy nodded.

Twilight pulled up the gamemaster's guidebook and propped it open in front of her. "Alright." she said. "Let's begin."

* * *

Sky Shimmer could feel corruption in the wind. Something sinister was coming to the forest. She stood on a precipice overlooking her burrow and hoping she'd have the fortitude to stop it once it came.

A shift in the wind caused her to swivel her ears back. Somepony approached.

"Greetings! I am Hopeful Heart, and I believe I'm looking for you." Turning to look at the pony speaking Sky Shimmer saw she was a pink pegasus, clad in chainmail. A large wooden shield painted with a braided tree sat on her back.

Sky Shimmer said nothing, prompting Hopeful Heart to continue. "I serve the spirit of the forest Ehlonna. She tasked me to enter these woods and seek out help, I believe she meant for me to find you."

"For what purpose?"

"Something dark is coming. I believe she means for me to stop it. I do not know what role she plans for you, but I think my journey starts here."

"I do not serve Ehlonna. I feel the corruption you mentioned, and I will do what I can to stop it, but I will not leave the forest." Sky Shimmer said.

"Be that as it may, I'd still like to ask for your help. Maybe you are not meant to accompany me, but rather just have some information that might help."

Sky Shimmer had little time for the games of spirits, even Ehlonna. "If your spirit knows so much why seek me out at all? Leave me be."

Though she doubted the cleric would give up so easily Sky Shimmer turned to go, but was interrupted by a hawk swooping in. She offered her foreleg and the hawk landed on it.

"What is it, Amitola?" Sky Shimmer asked her companion. The hawk cawed and Sky Shimmer ran off at a gallop.

"What's going on?" Hopeful Heart asked, flying after her.

"Ghouls have appeared in the forest." Sky Shimmer feared they were connected to the corruption she had felt earlier. Ghouls should not be anywhere near these woods. The forest was sacred and had a way of warding off unnatural creatures like the undead.

The ponies followed the hawk into a glade, which was already filled with half a dozen of the abominations. They were surrounding a unicorn and a griffin, who were standing back to back with swords drawn. Without stopping to think Sky Shimmer called a wolf to fight with them and ran to the warriors.

"Thanks." The griffin said. He was rushed by a ghoul, which he ran through with an enormous sword, too big for a pony to wield. Even the griffin required both talons to swing it properly. He swung the sword at a second ghoul, which dislodged the first although he missed his target.

The unicorn slashed at another one, cutting it across the chest, but the ghoul kept coming. It bit into his shoulder just above where his armor stopped. The wolf latched onto the ghoul's neck and pulled it off the unicorn, killing the creature. A light glow surrounded the wound as it sealed itself up.

As a ghoul approached Sky Shimmer Amitola dived in front of it. As its attention shifted to the hawk Sky Shimmer swung her staff as hard as she could into it's face. There was a sickening crunch as it's face sunk into itself, but the creature kept coming. She swung again, fully collapsing it's skull and killing the ghoul right as a second lunged at her. Prepared for the worst Sky Shimmer braced for the attack but Hopeful Heart swung a mace at it, catching it in the leg. Most of it's skin was torn off, but the ghoul crawled forward still. Before either mare could react the wolf jumped on top of it, ripping the decaying creature to pieces.

The unicorn took inspiration from the cleric and aimed his next swing at another ghoul's leg. Once it was down he drove the blade through its eye. The ghoul was killed, but his sword was stuck. As the last ghoul made for the helpless unicorn the griffin stood in its way, swinging his sword in an arch over his head and cleaving the creature in two.

Everypony looked around while trying to catch their breath. there was no sign of any other ghouls. "Is anypony hurt?" Hopeful Heart asked.

The unicorn inspected his shoulder. "I think we're all okay. You must be talented, I thought I was done for back there."

"You'd have been fine." the griffin said.

Sky Shimmer got a proper look at the two warriors. The griffon's feathers were brown, except his head which was black. He was wearing dull armor that looked heavy even for him, which had the royal insignia on it. The griffin's size dwarfed the unicorns, although Sky Shimmer couldn't remember seeing a stallion so large. He was white with a blue mane, and his armor may have been steel but it shone as brightly as silver.

"But why were those things attacking you?" Hopeful Heart asked.

"Well, actually…" the unicorn rubbed his neck.

"We saw them from a distance, but _he_ didn't want to wait for a plan. He just runs in screaming 'for justice!' like an idiot."

The unicorn blushed. "Well what would you have done, leave them be!?" he snapped at his companion.

"No, but we could have at least known what we were doing first." The griffin shrugged.

"In any event, I'm glad we came when we did. My name's Hopeful Heart. I'm a cleric serving Ehlonna."

"My name's Brilliant Knight." The unicorn said. "My gruff companion here is Guillaum."

Everypony turned toward Sky Shimmer. She sighed. "My name is Sky Shimmer. I think it would be best if you left the forest."

"Please, Sky Shimmer. You know ghouls shouldn't be here. This must be a sign of the coming darkness. Help me, please." Hopeful Heart said.

"My ladies." Brilliant Armor said, kneeling. "I believe we are seeking the same thing. Me and my companion are on a quest to rescue Crystal Gaze, a court mage who was taken by a malevolent force. Surely this is the same evil you face. We would be honored if you two would accompany us."

Hopeful Heart looked like she might swoon. Sky Shimmer rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that wolf was awesome. Got more ghouls than sir cheesy over here. And having a real cleric would be great. Brilliant Knight is okay but he's no healer." Guillaum said.

"I would be honored to join your quest." Hopeful Heart said.

"I would prefer you left the forest." Sky Shimmer said.

"Then we'll respect your wishes." Brilliant Knight said. Guillaum looked shocked and Hopeful Heart disappointed, but neither said anything against it.

"Thank you." Sky Shimmer said. But as she turned to go she felt a presence. "Everypony get down!" she shouted. Everypony obeyed, and a moment later a dark force came crashing through the trees overhead.

"What have we here?" A mare's voice spoke. "You four killed some of my ghouls. No matter, there's always plenty more corpses to play with." The darkness took shape, becoming an alicorn seemingly made from shadows.

Guillaum raised his blade, which only caused the mare to laugh. "Foals." she said.

"Are you the one hurting the forest?" Sky Shimmer asked.

"I've done no such thing." she answered. "However, If the forests are dying because of my magic, well, that's really not my problem."

Amitola flew at her while Sky Shimmer barred her teeth. "What gives you the right!?"

The mare didn't even flinch as Amitola flew right through her. "What gives me the right? Do you know who I am? I am the rightful queen of this land, Mara. All should bow before me." Her eyes glowed and everypony found themselves kneeling except for Brilliant Knight, who remained standing through obvious effort.

"What have you done with her? Where is Crystal Gaze!?" Brilliant Knight demanded.

"Hmm? Oh, you mean her." A young mare appeared, bound in chains.

"Help me!" she screamed.

"Aaargh!" Brilliant Knight charged, but his sword faded through the shadow. Finally unable to resist, he too fell to his knees.

"Foalish knight. I must commend your bravery though. Here, a token of my respect." Mara said. She kneeled down and kissed his forehead, a dark mark appearing where her lips had been.

"Now then, me and my toy are leaving. I could just kill you now, but I have a feeling you four will prove amusing, so I'll let you live." With a sinister cackle Mara and her prisoner disappeared.

Freed from their bindings Hopeful Heart and Guillaum ran to Brilliant Knight who was still collapsed on the ground. Sky Shimmer sat back in reflection as Amitola landed on her shoulder.

She sighed. "What do you think, Amitola?"

"Can you stand?" Guillaum asked Brilliant Knight.

"Let me look at it." Hopeful Heart said. "Oh dear Ehlonna, no."

"I don't know. Maybe I should go with them." Sky Shimmer said.

"What is it?" Guillaum asked.

"Blight." Hopeful Heart said. "It's dark energy infecting his blood."

"Oh that's just silly. You know I only care about saving the forest." Sky Shimmer said, blushing slightly.

"Will he be okay?" Guillaum asked.

"I can hold it at bay, and even heal him after a fashion. He won't die, but the blight will forever rob him of his holy energy. He won't be a paladin anymore." Hopeful Heart said.

"Fine. You're right, she was cute. But I'm not doing this for some mare just because she's beautiful. We really do need to stop Mara before she corrupts the forest." Sky Shimmer pouted slightly at Amitola being able to read her so well.

"I'll fly him back to town. We'll fix it." Guillaum said.

"Wait! I need to stay with him to hold the blight at bay, and I can't concentrate while flying." Hopeful Heart said.

"Dammit!" Guillaum shouted. "Then what can we do?"

"Could he be moved near where we met?" Sky Shimmer asked, causing both of them to jump as they hadn't noticed her approach.

"I suppose that would be okay, but the sooner the better." Hopeful Heart said.

"Right. Amitola will lead you to my burrow. Bring him there and do what you can for him. I'll follow on hoof after I gather some supplies." Sky Shimmer said.

Hopeful Heart looked doubtful but didn't have a chance to argue as Amitola and Guillaum took off, leaving her to either follow or be left behind. Once they were gone Sky Shimmer walked over to examine the ghouls they fought. She frowned at the sight before cantering into the forest.

The sun was already set by the time she finally entered her burrow. Brilliant Knight was lying on her bedding. The blight hadn't expanded much, which was a testament to Hopeful Hearts healing prowess.

"Oh thank goodness." Guillaum said. "I was beginning to be afraid you weren't oh sweet Pelor there's a bear behind you!"

Sky Shimmer didn't acknowledge his outburst, instead she turned to the bear. "Thank you very much, you've been a huge help. You can set them down here." The bear dropped the herbs she had asked him to carry. Sky Shimmer reached into her stores and pulled out a honeycomb, which she gave to him. He left the burrow with Sky Shimmer waving cheerfully and the others gawking. Without a word Sky Shimmer gathered the herbs and began grinding them using a mortar and pestle. Despite constant questioning she gave Guillaum only the most basic of answers, if she answered at all. Eventually Hopeful Heart asked him to let her finish her work in peace, to which he reluctantly complied.

"It's done." She rubbed the bright green poultice on Brilliant Knight. She circled the area around the black markings before covering them completely. He screamed as she worked.

"You're hurting him!" Guillaum yelled.

Sky Shimmer didn't look at him. "I never said I wouldn't."

"What? What is that? What are you doing to him?" Guillaum looked torn between trusting her and forcing her to stop.

"Look." Hopeful Heart gestured at the goop, which was turning black. "You're drawing the blight out, aren't you?"

Sky Shimmer nodded.

"That's good, right? Why are you so pale?" Guillaum asked Hopeful Heart.

"Yes, it's good." she answered. "But I can't imagine the pain he's in. It's ripping the tainted blood out of his body."

"He'll live, and he won't have any trace of corruption." Sky Shimmer said. Guillaum just gulped. She walked outside.

"Where are you going?" Hopeful Heart asked.

"To sleep where it's quiet. We'll go after Mara in the morning."

* * *

"I can't believe you gave me blight!" Shining Armor said.

"Hey, you knew what you were doing when you attacked Mara." Twilight said.

"Don't worry so much, Shiny." Cadance said. "Everything worked out, thanks to Fluttershy."

"I hope I'm doing okay." Fluttershy said.

"You're doing great!" Spike said.

"But my character's kind of… a bitch." Fluttershy said.

Twilight shrugged. "That's how druids are."

"I'm sure there are nice druids." Fluttershy said. She had tried to be nicer after the encounter with Mara, but her limited knowledge of the world meant she had to give Spike the cold shoulder when she couldn't explain what her character was doing.

"Dinner's ready." Twilight Velvet called from the top of the stairs. It had been sometime since they'd finished the cookies, and Fluttershy was pretty hungry, but she couldn't help but be a little disappointed at the interruption.

"So should we call it a night?" Twilight asked.

"No way! We can keep playing after dinner." Spike insisted.

"Uhm… I'd like to play more too. If nopony minds, that is." Fluttershy said.

Shining Armor grinned. "So I guess you'll need your own set of O&O books and dice."

Twilight facehoofed. "What have we done?"

"It's too quiet here." Guillaum said.

"You've said that at least three times a day since we left the forest." Brilliant Knight said. It had been a fortnight since they had left Sky Shimmer's burrow. She had agreed to go with them to everypony's surprise. "What do you expect? Look at where we are." They were walking through the ruins of an ancient city. Once it may have been a great civilization, but now everything was in shambles. The tallest buildings left were towers scarcely higher than a house, and even those they gave a wide berth, as the wrong wind could send them down at any moment.

"He's right though." Sky Shimmer said. She also felt something wrong this time.

Everypony stopped. They had reached a much better understanding over the past weeks, but still the reclusive pony only spoke when what she had to say was important, and they had all come to revere her ability to detect unnatural beings.

"Show yourselves!" Hopeful Heart said as her eyes glowed. A light radiated outwards from her. It passed over the travellers and the rubble, but it stuck to the shadows, revealing forms within them.

"It's an ambush!" Brilliant Knight shouted drawing his sword. The blade gave off a warm glow, as it was enchanted with a holy aura.

The shadows moved towards them. They were similar to Mara, darkness in equine form. The four travellers took combative stances, raising their weapons. Brilliant Knight's horn glowed and Guillaum's sword began to glow with a holy energy of it's own. It was only a temporary spell, unlike the permanent enchantment on the paladin's own blade, but it would do well for this fight.

Guillaum was the first to move, charging into the fray as soon as his sword was enchanted. He used his flight to stay just above the enemies, using the impressive reach of his sword to slash at them from above. It worked well until several of the shadows grew wings and chased him into the air.

Brilliant Knight took a defensive position in front of Hopeful Heart, keeping the shades away from her. Sky Shimmer prefered to keep a wall at her back and choose targets, staying on the sidelines. She conjured flames and tossed them at any shadows fool enough to approach her.

Eventually Hopeful Heart was separated from Brilliant Knight. She had long since taken measures to make herself less vulnerable in a fight. She had practiced invisibility to undead, which made up most of Mara's minions. Casting it now she disappeared from their perception and weaved through their ranks, supporting her friends where possible.

Guillaum had ascended well above the battle. Glancing behind him he saw there were three shadows following him. He quickly pulled into a dive and put some distance between them. Rolling onto his back he switched to a free fall with his weapon drawn. As the first shadow approached he smiled, swinging his sword and catching it in the wing. While it had been able to grow them it seemed it couldn't regenerate them as easily and fell, leaving Guillaum with two pursuers. Rolling back around he turned at a right angle moving along with the ground. A flame caught his eye and he saw a flash of yellow and pink, giving him a burst of inspiration.

Sky Shimmer was becoming overrun, slowly losing ground to the never ending waves of shadows. They largely ignored Amitola which meant she couldn't distract them like she did with the ghouls, but she could still serve as Sky Shimmer's eye in the sky. The hawk swooped down and cawed a message, leaving Sky Shimmer smiling. She raised a hoof and was lifted into the air by Guillaum. She gasped at the amount of shadows then shook her head. She couldn't worry about that now, she had to do her part to help her friends.

"Ready?" Guillaum asked.

"Yeah." she said.

The griffin threw the earth pony into the heart of the masses where she changed shape into a phoenix, scorching the shadows as she flew through them. She saw Brilliant Knight going blow for blow with two shadows at once and made for him. She crashed into them and turned toward the rest of the horde, flapping her wings and sending a wave a fire in front of her.

Guillaum flew directly through the flames holding a talon over his face. He looked back to see he had lost or killed both his pursuers in the process, but while his attention was behind him he crashed into a pillar, which came tumbling to the ground next to him. Against any other enemies he may have taken some out but the incorporeal shadows simply moved through the rubble undeterred. Guillaum began swinging wildly, bringing the huge blade from shoulder to shoulder in a blind attempt to hit something. As one leaped to land on his back a protective shield formed around him. The bubble of light kept the creatures at bay while easing the pain of his wounds. A pink pegasus landed in front of him, completely ignored by the shadows all around them.

"Have you seen the others?" Hopeful Heart asked.

"Sky Shimmer will be fine as long as her magic holds, she's taken the form of a phoenix. I don't know where Brilliant Knight is." Guillaum said.

Hopeful Heart launched herself into the air and scanned the battlefield. Sky Shimmer's phoenix form was a beacon, so she made her way towards the druid in hopes that Brilliant Knight would be nearby. As she flew to her comrade a flaming shadow burst into the air. It flew off towards a different direction, but not before catching her wing afire. She was able to put out the flames before hitting the ground but the wing was rendered useless. She fell into three shadows, which instantly became aware of her presence. She swung her maul which hit one shadow's head with enough force to remove it. She momentarily celebrated her decision to replace her old mace with a bigger weapon, but was cut short when the other two shadows approached.

Guillaum had followed after the cleric and was driving his sword into the flaming shadow's heart as she went down. He landed and began clearing a path to her. The shadows could not stand before him, but the ones behind him jumped on his back, burning him with their infernal touch. As they climbed on him Brilliant Knight galloped up and cut them off.

"You damn foal, you can't fight straight through them!" Brilliant Knight shouted as they fought back to back.

"Hopeful Heart went down!" Guillaum shouted back.

"Go! I'll cover you!" Brilliant Knight ran backwards fending them off as best he could, trusting Guillaum to get the ones in front.

They forced their way through the endless shades in time to see Hopeful Heart fell one with her maul. As two more approached her fire rained down upon them as Sky Shimmer dive bombed the shadows. The four stood in a circle while Sky Shimmer returned to pony form. Already panting she yelled "Hold tight!" and slammed her staff into the ground, a circle of spikes raising around them before igniting, taking out swaths of the dark beings.

"There's just too many!" Guillaum yelled as Sky Shimmer fell to her knees.

"I don't think I can shield us all!" Hopeful Heart shouted.

"Get close to me!" Sky Shimmer shouted. As she was surrounded by her friends she did her best to calm her mind and call upon whatever magic she had left within her. She reached out for something, anything that might save them.

At first there was nothing. But then as the shadows drew closer and they looked to be done for the wind began. It threatened to throw them into the shadows, but they held fast to each other. A deafening caw filled the air as a giant eagle swooped down, the gusts from its wings knocking shadows back as it grabbed the adventurers and returned into the air.

* * *

"Ah?" Fluttershy was suddenly aware that she was being placed onto Twilight's bed. "Twily?"

Twilight smiled. "You and Spike fell asleep on each other. I had to carry you all the way here." she said. She climbed into bed next to Fluttershy and kissed her. "It was pretty adorable, though. I love you."

"I love you too." Fluttershy smiled before shivering. "It's so cold."

Twilight laughed. "I think I can take care of that." She snuggled into bed and pulled the covers over them, tucking them in with her magic. She curled around Fluttershy.

"Goodnight, Shy." Twilight said, kissing her on the forehead, but Fluttershy was already asleep.

* * *

Author's Note: So I really want the first three paragraphs (about the day out in Canterlot) to be a separate chapter, but I'm so burnt out on writing this right now -_- Maybe I'll go back and expand it later.


	12. Night and Day

As usual Twilight was early. Raven, Celestia's assistant, had offered to shuffle appointments to accommodate her, but Twilight wouldn't allow it. It was certainly not the agricultural committee's fault she had decided to show up hours ahead of schedule, and there was no reason they should be made to wait for it. Besides, she had chosen to leave extra early so she would have time to think, and so she found herself wandering the royal gardens. The castle always put her in a logical mindset. Her parents house was one of the most welcoming places to her, especially with how readily everypony had accepted Fluttershy, but she couldn't think like a princess around them, least of all Fluttershy. When she left the pegasus was bundled up in their bed writing to Sunset Shimmer about their adventures in Oubliettes and Ogres. Twilight had given up on the game years ago, but she loved seeing Fluttershy so interested in it. The normally shy pony was surprisingly apt at getting into her character's role.

Twilight shook her head. She was supposed to be thinking about her plans for the future, not Fluttershy's roleplaying. She decided the palace gardens just reminded her too much of Fluttershy and she needed a change of scenery. She walked aimlessly in the general direction of the library, and her mind wandered back to her marefriend. There was a lot more than Fluttershy was saying about her dad. What could have happened that in the years she'd known Fluttershy she never even told her that he was alive, and what changed that she finally told her now? She had always thought Fluttershy was an orphan, and whenever she did talk about her parents it was always with love and respect. _'For her mom.'_ Twilight realized. Fluttershy talked so rarely about her life in Cloudsdale that Twilight had never noticed that she only ever talked about her mom. Had she ever actually said her dad died, or had Twilight assumed that? She honestly couldn't remember now.

"Twilight Sparkle." A voice cut through her thoughts.

"Huh?" Twilight looked around and saw she had wandered into the astronomy wing on her way to the library and that Luna was right next to her. "Oh, Princess Luna, hi! Is everything okay? It's the middle of the day."

The Night Princess smiled the practiced smile of a mare who was tired of constantly answering the same question but knew she'd be answering it for years to come. "You know there are more hours in the day than the night. I do not sleep for all of them."

"Oh, right, sorry. That was a dumb question."

"Tis no matter. You are here to see Tia, correct?"

"Yes, but she's in a meeting, so I was just killing some time"

"Perfect! Come, I am on my way to the kitchens for cake. Join me."

Twilight's stomach grumbled and she grinned sheepishly. "That sounds great, I'm starving."

Luna nodded and led the way. "So how are things with Fluttershy?"

Twilight stopped in her tracks and gaped at the older princess. There was simply no way she could know yet. She knew none of her friends would spread the word about her and Fluttershy until they were ready to come out about it themselves, but even if that weren't the case the only ones with any reason to talk to Luna were her dad, Cadance, and maybe Shining Armor. Two of them had only found out a few days ago, and if Cadance could resist telling her husband she certainly didn't tell anypony else. "But… I don't understand. How did you know we're…" Twilight trailed off as she looked around frantically, although the hallway was empty except for them.

Luna arched an eyebrow. "You are still friends, are you not? I was merely making conversation. I fear I don't know your other friends very well, but Fluttershy was most helpful in… modernizing my mannerisms." Luna smiled wickedly. "Although if there _is_ something more than friendship then by all means do tell."

Twilight facehoofed. She couldn't believe she had assumed that. Luna had simply asked a question and Twilight's outbreak had given her away.

"Oh, and your dreams were quite… informative."

Twilight gave up all pretense of dignified behavior and dropped to the ground with her wings over her face. This wasn't happening. Luna hadn't seen… that.

"Really now, it's perfectly natural. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I must say though, your subconscious mind certainly has quite the imagination, unless of course all that was based on your real bedroom experiences."

A purple streak flew from where a moment ago had been a ball of fur and feathers. Twilight was determined to fly all the way to her parents house, write to Celestia explaining that she was sorry but would be unable to make their meeting, and never sleep again. She didn't get very far, however, as a blue aura encased her tail, preventing her from leaving, while Luna clutched her sides in laughter. Twilight gave up her escape and instead glared at Luna with as much malice as she could manage.

"Relax, I'm only teasing you." Luna said once she recomposed herself. "I value the privacy of dreams, and never enter one unless it is to fend off a nightmare. I have seen nothing of your dreams with Fluttershy." Twilight sighed with relief but resumed blushing when Luna added "Although, from your reaction it would seem I missed quite the show."

"I really think we should stop talking about this now!" Twilight looked around frantically, half checking to make sure the hallway was still empty, half looking for an excuse to change the subject.

"On second thought, perhaps it would be best if we could speak privately. I'll send for food and we can talk in my solar." Luna suggested. Twilight nodded. While she was wary of more teasing she knew it would be better to stay out of the crowded cafeteria, and talking with Luna would have certain advantages.

Luna's quarters weren't far, being part of the astronomy wing. She stopped outside the doors to ask an attendant to bring them cake and, at Twilight's insistence, some sort of 'real' food. While they waited Twilight took in her surroundings. Luna's tower was closed off when Twilight was Celestia's student and she hadn't ever had a reason to enter since Luna's return, so this was her first time in the Princess of the Night's private meeting hall. While there was ample light to see with it mostly came from a fireplace and several large torches, which resulted in highly contrasting areas of light and dark throughout the room. There were windows, but the curtains were all drawn. The decor was practically medieval, with tapestries and decorative weapons hanging on the walls. Twilight wondered if the room had been unchanged since Luna's banishment or if she had chosen to decorate her quarters with what would be familiar to her.

Once Luna's cake and Twilight's salad had been brought up and the door closed Twilight finally asked the question on her mind. "So how _did_ you know about me and Fluttershy?" She wouldn't accept that Luna really had been asking after Fluttershy coincidentally.

"Fluttershy told me, of course." Luna said, in between bites of cake.

Twilight felt a range of emotions, none of which were pleasant. She was shocked that the shy pegasus had told anypony, let alone one of the royal sisters, surprised that Fluttershy and Luna were even in communication with each other at all, upset that her marefriend hadn't told her about it sooner, and hurt that she had been outed by the one pony who most understood her.

Luna smiled slightly. "Let me explain. It actually was in a dream, truthfully. I generally don't like to reveal what a pony dreams about, even to her lover, but to put it simply she had a nightmare you would leave her. No, don't look so worried. I do not believe this was a recurring dream, nor a deep fear of hers. Tis nothing but a common nightmare amongst new lovers, and it was purely by chance I happened upon it. But you can imagine my curiosity when I did. The two of us talked for some time and much was learned."

"I see." Twilight considered what she felt while eating her salad. She supposed it was reasonable, and she was glad Luna had stopped Fluttershy's nightmare. She did wish Fluttershy had told her afterwards though. As her initial confusion faded away it dawned on her that Luna knew. The first pony to find out from somepony other than Twilight herself and it was Princess Luna, potentially cataclysmic in and of itself, but what was even worse was that if Luna knew then Celestia…

Luna cocked her head to the side. "Are you concerned I don't approve?" she asked.

"No, it's just…" Twilight sighed. "Yes, I am."

Luna chuckled. "Twilight Sparkle, I have nothing but respect for you. Both of you, truly. I am happy you two have found each other. And you know, you're not the first princess with an interest in mares."

"What?" Twilight's mouth fell open. This was huge news. Possibly the answer to many of her problems. "But I've read about every princess Equestria ever had! None of them were gay."

"And if I were to read about your life, what would I learn about your sexuality?" Luna said. She had a point, but hadn't answered Twilight's question. "There have been many princesses over the years, statistically speaking it would be near impossible to expect all of them had only eyes for stallions. Many had secret lovers their whole lives, which I can say with certainty as I've met several. But I was not referring to them. Rather, I meant you aren't the only one of the current four."

Twilight's mind quickly went through the possibilities and rejected all of them. She knew the princesses. Surely she'd know if any of them were lesbians. "But that can't be right. I mean… who?" She knew she shouldn't ask, that it was rude and none of her business, but she couldn't help herself. She needed to know.

Luna simply smiled. "I should think it easy enough. Celestia is eternally straight and narrow in more ways than one, and for being the Princess of Love Cadance is shockingly vanilla." She inclined her head, inviting Twilight to finish the thought.

"You?" Twilight asked.

Luna smiled. "Me."

"You're gay?" Twilight asked, her mind trying to catch up with the idea. She wasn't even sure why it was so shocking to her.

"Not exactly. I've been alive a long time, Twilight Sparkle. I honestly don't know how Celestia does it. Not only has she only had six lovers, but they're always stallions. I don't just mean male, but also always ponies too." Luna shook her head at the idea, while Twilight felt oddly uncomfortable at the idea of Celestia's sexuality. "Personally I prefer variety. Mares, stallions, griffons, zebras, a dragon once, but that was a terrible idea. They live so long it seemed perfect, but while he was exceptionally nice, he was also very… large. Oh come now, don't look so squeamish. You're so like Tia."

"Oh it's not that." Twilight said as she did her best to fix her expression, even though it was very much 'that'. "I'm just surprised is all. It seems like somepony would have said something and word would have gotten around."

Luna's eyes narrowed. "Twilight Sparkle, I don't believe I like what you're implying. I've had many lovers, yes, but I trusted them all completely."

"No, wait I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry, I just meant-" Twilight trailed off when she noticed Luna's grin.

"Has anypony ever told you you're far too easily flustered?"

Twilight looked at the ground _'Don't blush'_ Twilight told herself, then did anyway.

"Honestly though, you are correct. While I may have trusted them all at the time they were certainly not all trustworthy. Some told, others were simply bad at hiding it, at times I was simply bad at hiding it. There were always rumors prior to Nightmare Moon, which I had to dispel. Then my absence made ponies forget." Luna's lighthearted expression faded to a frown as she looked off to the side. "I'm sure Celestia played her part in covering it up as well."

Luna's tone took Twilight by surprise. "She doesn't approve?" Luna didn't answer immediately and Twilight felt her chest tighten. She had been debating telling Celestia, but if she wouldn't even accept her own sister…

When Luna did speak her voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "Would you think less of me if I told you I don't remember them all?"

Taken off guard by the sudden subject change Twilight took a moment to answer. "Of course not. I can't even imagine what that must be like, I don't think anypony can expect you to remember everypony in thousands of years."

"One pony could. And whatever she may think I truly did love them all." Luna said, so quietly that Twilight wasn't sure if she had been meant to hear it at all.

Luna quietly stared into the fire. "Princess Luna?" Twilight prompted after several minutes.

Luna smiled again and turned to address Twilight. "In any event, Twilight Sparkle, you have nothing to worry about. Tia will be happy to hear of you and Fluttershy, I assure you. She has nothing against ponies finding love with somepony of the same gender."

Twilight smiled at the assurance. "You know, you can just call me Twilight."

Luna laughed. "And I do believe I've asked you to just call me Luna."

"Point taken." Twilight said, rubbing her neck. "So, Luna, is there anypony you're interested in now?"

"No. Since my return I have been too preoccupied to look for love."

"Really?" Twilight asked doubtfully. Unlike her sister Luna was easy enough to read. While she said no her eyes had darted away and her smile seemed unauthentic. Twilight knew she should leave it alone, that if Luna wanted to talk about it she would have said so. But Twilight was also not about to let the chance for her revenge go after Luna had so thoroughly embarrassed her earlier. "For years you've never had a crush on anypony?"

"Well, if you really want to know, I shall tell you a story. I believe you are familiar with one version of its beginning." Luna closed her eyes and smiled serenely. "Once upon a time there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. But as time went on the younger sister became lonely. the ponies relished and adored her elder sister, but shunned and laughed at her. Over time the bitterness in the young one's heart transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness, Nightmare Moon. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the Elements of Harmony and banished her to the moon, where she waited one thousand years, until she returned to spread darkness over the land. However, when hope seemed lost a young unicorn came before her, again wielding the Elements. But instead of banishing her again, the unicorn and her friends used the Elements to defeat Nightmare Moon and free the young princess from her long imprisonment." Luna opened her eyes to look at Twilight. "And as is often the case with fairy tales, the princess fell for her hero."

"I, uh, but, well…" Twilight tried to get her words to work. "You mean… me?"

Luna chuckled. "Yes. For a time, anyway." she said, then her smile faltered a bit. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but-"

"Don't be, I'm not. I'm flattered. But, well, why didn't you ever say anything?" While Twilight had never had feelings for Luna she couldn't say what might have happened. Of course she was happy with how things turned out, Fluttershy truly was the mare of her dreams, but at the time Twilight hardly knew Fluttershy.

"Partly because I didn't really know you. I didn't know how you'd react, or if you even liked mares. I was in no shape to deal with rejection and more rumors. But mostly it was for Tia. She would not have liked it, her sister and her student. I'm sure you know, after all, she considers you to be like a daughter of sorts. There were a lot of conflicting emotions between us at the time, and I didn't want to add to the strain. No matter how many ponies I've loved, Tia is my one constant companion. Eventually the feelings subsided, in any case. You are very much like Tia, after all. I think we are too different to have ever worked out, so believe me when I say there was no ill will when Fluttershy told me you were taken."

Twilight smiled as a thought occurred to her. "Could you imagine it? Two princesses, everypony would go crazy over that one."

"I can. Exceptionally well, actually."

"Really?" Twilight grinned. "Who was she?"

"Princess Scarlet, one of my longest relationships."

"Princess Scarlet? But she had a husband!" Twilight couldn't believe Luna would date somepony's wife.

"Don't give me that look. Yes, she had a political marriage to a stallion. But really the prince had his own secret, namely a coltfriend. And as far as anypony else knew he was really _my_ coltfriend. Despite some rumors we four were actually quite popular, always double dating, switching off partners when nopony was looking. A few close calls, but it was great fun at times."

"Wow. Makes you wonder how much the history books got wrong." Twilight knew that there was plenty of important stuff that got left out of the history books, but to imagine that some of what _was_ recorded was wrong didn't really sit well with her.

"They record the official story, but the official story is seldom the true one. Has Tia never told you any real history stories? They certainly are more entertaining."

"No, she's always encouraged me to read about it."

"I should have known. Well, I could tell you some things, if you'd like."

Twilight was very tempted to agree, but she knew she was running out of time before her meeting with Celestia, and there was something she wanted to get her opinion on. "I'd love to, but actually I was wondering if you could give me some advice on something."

"Anything at all Twilight."

"Well, what do you think would happen if me and Fluttershy came out. Publicly, I mean."

"I have wondered myself many times. You're afraid of what other ponies will think. Believe me when I say nopony understands better than I. The idea of being so much in the public eye is daunting, and yes, ponies can be cruel. If you do decide to come out there will be many who don't like it. And yet, nopony knows what hiding it away can mean more than I. You may not become a monster as I did, but you will feel the same emotions I have. The fear, the regret. I would not wish it on anypony, least of all you. I do not know how many lovers I've lost because I wanted to stay secret, and even when they stayed things never seemed to work out for the best. Whatever may come I believe your best course of action is to come out."

Twilight thought about Luna's words. Could she really expect to be happy living her whole life with Fluttershy as a secret? Luna's advice made sense, but it left her wondering. "But then, why haven't you?"

Luna sighed. "Because I too was afraid. Times were different, opinions harsher. Ponies now are more accepting than they've ever been. Who knows, if I _were_ to find a mare I feel it may well be time. Past time, really." Luna shook her head. "My apologies. I did invite you here so I might help you with your dilemma, and yet we spent most of our time talking about me. And now it seems our time is at its end." Before Twilight could ask what she meant there was a knock on the door. "Enter."

"Pardon the intrusion, princesses." One of Celestia's royal guards bowed deeply. "Princess Celestia is ready to meet with you now, Princess Twilight."

Twilight nodded and stood up. Luna walked her to the door. "Think on my words, Twilight." Luna said. "And know that if you ever need to speak to me, about this or anything else, I am always available."

"Thank you, Luna." Twilight gave her a quick hug. "And you know, the same goes for me, if you ever want to talk about anything."

"I shall remember it. Give my best to your family, and fare thee well."

Twilight followed the guard in silence. The royal guard were not known for their conversational skills, and Twilight was feeling particularly contemplative. Still, she was glad for his presence or else she might find herself wandering the castle aimlessly some more.

The guard led her not to the audience chamber, but instead to Celestia's private reception. He knocked on the door and Celestia called out "Please, come in." As the guard pushed open the door and Twilight walked in she was reminded of the differences between the sisters, not the least of which was that Celestia's solar was actually lit properly. In the center was a table with a fine tea set on it, and cushions placed around it. The decorations were sparse, but elegant, drawing attention to her signature stained glass windows, easily the most colorful thing in the room.

"Twilight, it's so nice to see you." Celestia bent down to hug her former student. She nodded to the guard as he saluted and made his exit, leaving the two alone. Returning to her cushion Celestia gestured to the table. "Tea?"

"Of course." Twilight said, her mind wandering back to all the times over the years the two of them had talked over tea in this room. As usual Celestia put more than a healthy serving of sugar in Twilight's cup. If there was one thing Twilight would always count on to be consistent it was Celestia.

"I trust you had a nice Hearth's Warming?" Celestia asked, sipping her tea.

"Yes. Actually though there was something… unexpected this year." With Luna's assurance that Celestia would accept them Twilight was prepared to tell her about Fluttershy. She wanted Celestia's advice on whether they should come out. Cadance had told her that the public reaction wouldn't be too bad, and Luna had told her even if it was she would still be better off not living in secret. She trusted both princesses, but there was no pony she trusted to guide her more than Celestia.

"Yes, that is why I asked you here today." Celestia said, frowning, her tone full of concern. Twilight's heart sank and she felt like she was going to have a panic attack. Somehow Celestia already knew and she was disappointed. Twilight might have run away if she could move at all.

"There have been many trials against Equestria in recent times. While I know as always we shall endure I fear for the public well being. Panic is a dangerous thing and I feel it's inevitable should word get out." Even through her own panic some part of her mind argued that sounded a little far. Sure, some ponies wouldn't approve, maybe she'd lose some of her authorial presence, but she hardly thought her sexuality was reason enough to cause panic. "Which is why until we have confirmation that the changelings are mobilizing it's important that all the princesses are on the same page. That there is no threat to Equestria and these are all isolated instances."

Oh, right, changelings. Twilight couldn't believe she had forgotten about Shining Armor's news. She had to stop herself from sighing in relief as her muscles unwound. This was still an official meeting. "Isolated instances? How many have there been?"

"Officially three, in the Crystal Empire, Manehatten, and Fillydelphia. Two more have been found, in Canterlot and Las Pegasus, but there is no public knowledge of them. We are also trailing several suspicious ponies in Cloudsdale and Appleloosa."

Twilight thought about the list of cities. "They all only have one changeling?"

"Very astute, Twilight. Yes, there has been a single changeling found in half of Equestria's major cities, all within a matter of months. It's not unheard of for stray changelings to turn up, but usually they do so years apart. I do not truly believe these events are unrelated, considering that there is definitely a bizarre pattern at work here."

"So shouldn't we put out an alert? The more ponies that are aware of them the harder it'll be for the changelings to hide."

"Against any other foe I would agree. Changelings , however, are an exception. If we ask every citizen to keep watch on their neighbors we will breed distrust and panic. While we may indeed catch any changelings still in hiding the cost could be too high. Imagine if a mare were to suspect a stallion was a changeling. She could voice her concerns to the appropriate channels, and we would investigate the situation. But even if it was decided the stallion was not a changeling, the mare may not be satisfied. She could spread rumors and eventually if enough ponies came to believe this innocent stallion was a changeling they might decide to take matters in their own hooves. Once a mob is formed it is difficult to reason with, and they might not even stop at just the one stallion. Even if we were to stop the mob before things became violent, there would be those who said the government was already infiltrated. Once the seeds of doubt are sown they are nearly impossible to eradicate. I suspect this is exactly what the hive wants."

Of course Twilight could see the importance of keeping this secret, but she didn't like hiding the truth. _'The official story is seldom the true one.'_ she reflected. "So what should we do?"

"I have vigils set up in every city, great and small. While the general population shall remain unaware we will not blindly allow this to happen. For Ponyville I trust the task to you. It is your discretion who should be made aware, although of course I think the bearers of the Elements of Harmony are a given."

Twilight nodded. Between all her friends they had connections throughout all of Ponyville. "We'll take care of it, princess."

"I'm sure you will. Still, be careful. The changelings have been a constant threat for thousands of years, always slipping through the cracks and avoiding capture. I know them, I know their tactics. This is something I've never seen them do. I can only speculate what brought this change, but I fear it can't be good."

They sipped their tea quietly for a few minutes. In light of the changelings Twilight felt her news was less important.

Eventually Celestia smiled. "Now then, enough of that. It is always too long between our visits. Tell me, what's new in your life?"

"Well…" Twilight took a deep breath to brace herself. "I started dating somepony."

As always Celestia's change in expression was subtle. Most ponies would read it as polite interest. But Twilight knew her better than most ponies. The curve of her smile was slightly different than when she asked after nobility at formal get togethers. It was the smile Twilight would see as a filly whenever she would make some breakthrough in her studies, or as a young mare when she'd tell her mentor about her latest lessons in friendship. "I see. And have I met this pony?" Twilight couldn't tell if Celestia had intentionally left the gender out of her question but appreciated it nonetheless.

"Yes, actually. It's, well, Fluttershy."

Twilight didn't even have time to look nervous before Celestia's smile broadened. "That's wonderful. I trust you two are happy together?"

"Yes. I've never been happier, and everypony's accepted us so far. We've told our friends and my family. I even just talked to Luna about it." As Twilight mentioned Luna she thought she saw Celestia's smile twitch ever so slightly, but she wasn't positive.

"I'm glad to hear it. It is always important to have the support of those we love." Celestia said.

"There is something I wanted your advice on. I think Fluttershy wants to come out publicly. She hasn't said it outright, but she has been hinting at it. I know some ponies won't approve, and I'm worried they might even lose respect. Not so much about me personally, but as a princess. How can I be a leader when the ponies I'm leading don't respect me?"

"That is a big decision, and of course I will support you in whatever you decide. I am glad to hear you're thinking it through. I suspect Luna may have already told you, but you're not the first princess to have a marefriend." Twilight nodded. "You would, however, be the first to be open about it. I would imagine the reactions would be mixed, and yes, some ponies may lose faith in your role as princess. But while I'd hate to see you cast as anything other than the amazing mare I know you are, I would also hate to see you hide away a part of yourself. In the end it is a decision only you and Fluttershy can make."

Twilight couldn't help but be disappointed. She had expected Celestia to have all the answers. "What would you do if you were me?" she asked.

"I don't know." Celestia said. "It's difficult for me to place myself in your position because I have the luxury of time. If I were to have a mare as a lover I could come out and know that no matter what ponies thought of me their children would grow up with that always being a part of their knowledge of me. Within a hundred years no pony would care because that would be the only me they ever knew. I've lost the ability to think in the perspective of a normal pony's lifespan, if I ever had it to begin with."

In many ways Twilight was glad becoming an alicorn hadn't made her immortal. She couldn't imagine living her life without her friends or family. But she also couldn't help but envy Celestia and Luna at times. She was still back where she started with no idea what to do.

"I have faith in you to make the right decision, whatever that may be." Celestia said. She stood up and a sly smile crept on her face as an idea occurred to her. "Fluttershy is at your parents house now?"

"Yes." Twilight answered, standing up herself. She was pretty sure where this was going already.

"Do you think anypony would mind if I accompanied you back unannounced? I have fulfilled all my obligations for the day and would like to give my seasons greetings to your family, after all."

"I think that sounds like a great idea." Twilight said. As Celestia led them to the royal chariot Twilight tried not to worry so much. She would try to focus on life's small pleasures, like getting a picture of the expression on her dad's face when he saw the that Sun Princess had dropped in unannounced. They were still on vacation after all, they could worry about everything else once they were back in Ponyville. She would hold a meeting to discuss the changelings and talk to Fluttershy about what they would do next. As the chariot lifted into the air Twilight could feel her troubles slipping away behind them.


	13. Of Mountains and Molehills

"Last train to Coltsville!"

"Our train should be here any minute now." Twilight said, staring at the train schedule.

Fluttershy frowned. She did miss her friends, and was worried sick about the animals, but she didn't want to leave yet. She was just getting used to feeling like part of a family again.

Twilight Velvet put a hoof on her shoulder. Now I expect to hear from you, dear. I want a letter every week."

"Darling, you know Fluttershy's gonna have her hooves full once they get back. Maybe once a month?" Night Light suggested.

"Fine. Every other week, and that's my final offer."

Fluttershy giggled. "I think I can handle that."

Spike came running up to the ponies with a basket of cinnamon buns. "Heese aw gweat!" He said said through a mouthful.

"Spike, chew your food." Twilight Velvet chided.

He swallowed before continuing. "Anypony wants some?"

The four ponies all gathered around to grab some of the still warm pastries. Shining Armor and Cadance had left the day before, so it was just Twilight's parents seeing them off. By the time the basket was empty and everypony a little more full they heard the whistle of a train coming in. "We should move down to the platform, that's our train." Twilight said, squinting at it's approach.

As they began to walk towards the train Fluttershy instinctively moved closer to Twilight. With a sideways glance the alicorn stepped away a bit. Fluttershy frowned but kept the distance Twilight left between them. _'It's not because she's ashamed, it's just because…'_ As the days went on Fluttershy was beginning to have a hard time remembering why they had to keep it secret. _'We'll talk about it in Ponyville.'_

As they were walking through the crowd they were interrupted by a nearby flash. "Princess Twilight, a moment of your time, please!" a stallion with a camera asked. He had a grey coat and a magnifying glass cutie mark.

Fluttershy had to admit, Twilight had gotten much better at pretending to be happy to see reporters. She turned to face him with a genuine smile, and stepped to the side so that her family would be left out of any more photos.

"Good morning, your highness. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for Ponies Magazine?"

The train to Ponyville pulled up, its doors opening to let out its current passengers before it could take anymore, leaving them with no excuse to get away. "Maybe just one or two, but my train's here, so they'll have to be quick ones."

"Of course." The photographer said, snapping another picture. "The question on everypony's mind: Does Princess Twilight have a coltfriend?"

Twilight chuckled, which even Fluttershy almost believed was real. "Sorry to disappoint you, but no."

"Would that have anything to do with the rumors that you've been spending a lot of your time with the same mare? We also have it from a reliable source that you invited a mare over for the holidays. One can't help but wonder if it's the same pony, perhaps the better question is does Princess Twilight have a marefriend?" He glanced at Fluttershy.

The camera snapped a picture of Twilight's reaction, which was definitely not faked. Her mouth fell open for a moment before she shook her head and gave a nervous laugh. "That's absolutely ridiculous! I spend time with all my friends, and I hardly think having a guest over is that big of a deal."

"All aboard for Ponyville!"

While everypony was distracted by the train's arrival he took a picture of Fluttershy. She had occasionally been in pictures with Twilight and all their other friends, but this was the first time since her brief modeling career anypony had wanted a picture of just her.

"Uhh, maybe we should get on the train now?" Spike said, but Fluttershy was already boarding.

"Ticket miss?" a friendly mare asked. "Let's see here. Oh, your private room is the first door on the left there. Would you like any help with your bags?"

"No thank you." Fluttershy said, already on her way to the room. She opened the door and dropped her saddlebag on a seat, then sat down, putting her bag on one side of her and the wall on the other. She immediately regretted running off. She hadn't even said a proper goodbye to Twilight Velvet or Night Light, after all their hospitality. She sighed and sunk into her seat. She had been so upset she hadn't stopped to think about what she was doing.

"Boy, it's a good thing you got out of there when you did." Spike said. She was puzzled for a second that she hadn't heard the door open, but then realized she hadn't closed it. "After you left mom dragged Twilight off to the side. She looked furious!"

"Was the reporter still there?"

"Yeah, he took a ton of pictures. Tomorrow's headline will be all about the Royal Lecture." Spike chuckled as he sat in the window seat. Fluttershy doubted that would be tomorrow's headline. She knew she should have stayed outside, that Twilight would have gotten rid of the reporter and wouldn't have gotten in trouble with her mom, then the three of them could have said goodbye together.

"I can't believe her!" Twilight said, entering the room and shutting the door behind her. "She treated me like a filly, right in front of everypony!"

Twilight levitated Fluttershy's saddlebag to a different chair and sat next to her. Fluttershy was still angry but decided to let it go. There was no point in making things worse.

Twilight sighed and leaned against Fluttershy, who didn't react at all. "I love you Shy, but we've got to be more careful. He probably wouldn't even have noticed you if we weren't walking so close together."

"I can't walk next to you now?" Fluttershy asked. She tried to keep her tone level, but judging by how Twilight sat up to look at her she must have failed.

"Come on, Shy, you know I didn't mean it like that. It's just… ponies are noticing us." Twilight didn't quite meet Fluttershy's gaze.

Fluttershy stood up and walked to the other side of the room, sitting across from Twilight and Spike. Twilight gave her a look both confused and hurt. "We wouldn't want anypony to get the wrong idea." Fluttershy said, her tone cold and detached from the situation.

"What? Fluttershy there's nopony here. You're being ridiculous." Twilight said.

"Calm down, you guys." Spike urged. "There's no need to fight about anything."

"Ridiculous…" Fluttershy repeated. She stood up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know. I just… need to stretch my legs."

"We just got here! At least wait for the train to start moving."

Fluttershy ignored Twilight and opened the door. As she tried to walk out of the room the train started with a jerk, knocking her off her feet. She glanced back at Twilight who's face read 'I told you so.' Fluttershy turned away to ignore her.

"Are you okay, miss?" the ticket taker from earlier asked. As the mare helped her up Fluttershy noticed her for the first time. She was a mottled brown pegasus with a lighter brown cropped mane, clipped to one side to keep it out of her face.

"Thank you so much." Fluttershy said, smiling at the other mare's kindness. "Uhm, could you point me to the bathroom?"

"Of course. It's right at the end of the hall there." She said, pointing it out. "Watch your step, now."

"Thank you." Fluttershy said, shutting the door to their room behind her. She made her way to the bathroom, closed the door, and just sat against it.

' _What's wrong with me?'_ she wondered. She shouldn't have a problem with their relationship being secret. It was already something that they'd agreed on, after all. She'd heard Twilight tell other ponies time and time again that she didn't have a special somepony, and it never bothered her before. _'It wasn't just what she said, it was how she said it.'_ She didn't just deny their relationship, she said it was ridiculous. That having Fluttershy over for the holidays didn't mean anything. And her reaction was different. Normally she was polite but detached with reporters. Like she was talking about a different Twilight Sparkle. But this time it seemed like she was acting authentically. She was shocked anypony would even ask if she had a marefriend, and she had called it ridiculous. _'Why would Princess Twilight Sparkle have a marefriend? Don't be ridiculous, she's only a friend, no big deal.'_

Fluttershy stood up and looked in the mirror. She stared at her reflection like she was waiting for something big to happen, something to show her the answers. Instead she just watched herself as tears started forming. Eventually she found herself crying face down in the sink.

' _I'm being silly.'_ Fluttershy decided. _'Besides, somepony might need to use the bathroom.'_ She got back up and washed her face. Only when she was done did she look back in the mirror. Her mane was a bit of mess, but otherwise she looked okay. Thankfully her eyes weren't all red, so she shouldn't have to answer any questions.

Walking down the hall she was about to return to her room when the ticket taker approached her. "Is there anything else I can do for you miss?"

"No, thank you." Fluttershy said.

"You know, your tickets include a free cup of coffee, or tea, if you'd prefer."

Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. "It does? Twilight didn't say anything about that…"

"Well, alright you got me." The mare smiled sheepishly. "It doesn't but if you want I'll still get you one."

Fluttershy smiled as she realized what was going on. "Thank you, but Twilight really doesn't like ponies doing her favors just because she's a princess."

"Oh, no that's not it, it's just, you see…" the mare rubbed at her neck. "I guess I might as well come clean. You're Fluttershy, right?"

Fluttershy nodded. She tried to think if she had met this mare before, but she couldn't remember anything.

"Well, the thing is, you're kind of my hero." She blushed slightly as she looked off to the side.

"I… I am? But why?" Fluttershy had never been called anypony's hero before.

"I was in Ponyville during the Summer Sun Celebration. I was pretty young at the time and got seperated from my family when Nightmare Moon showed up. I was so scared, it was my first time being away from home. I've always been terrified of traveling. I know, odd job, right? But I saw you and your friends go into the woods. I didn't know what was going on but I wanted to run after you. I could tell you guys were doing something reckless, and I'm not sure if I wanted to stop you or to help. But I didn't do anything. Then you guys stopped Nightmare Moon, and saved Princess Luna! I couldn't believe it. You all became so popular at my high school, everypony wanted to be one of you." She giggled. "Even the colts."

Fluttershy was still confused. Sure, lots of ponies appreciated them all, but it was really Twilight who led the charge. "But why me? Everypony else was more brave than I was. I probably wouldn't even have gone if Rainbow Dash hadn't been there."

"Actually, that's kind of why. When I saw you, you were terrified. I could tell that you felt just like me, but you went anyway, while I hid in a bush and cried. I started tracking all your adventures, always looking for parts about you. I wanted to go on my own adventures, but I'd have panic attacks if I had to go to the other side of town. Fast forward a few years and Tirek came and stole everypony's magic. I thought we were done for, but then I saw you again. You had this crazy rainbow thing going on, and you flew over us, then everything was okay. I realized how close I came to never fulfilling my dreams, and I applied for this job. I love meeting other ponies from all over the place, and seeing all these different places, but I was so freaked out at first. I can't believe they didn't fire me on my first day, they found me curled up in a ball in the broom closet. But I stuck with it, because you showed me that we can fight through our fears."

Fluttershy couldn't believe it. She had always done what she could to help because she had to for Equestria, and she had her friends to support her. She couldn't imagine anypony even noticed her among everypony else, let alone that she could inspire somepony to face her fears all by herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm being like, super weird." The mare said, her smile faded a little. Fluttershy just now noticed that the mare had been smiling since she first entered the train.

"No, you're not weird at all." Fluttershy said. "I've just never had anypony tell me anything like that before." The mare's smile returned, which spread to Fluttershy. "So, uhm, is that tea still an option?"

"Of course!" She led the way to the dining car. "My name's Amber Glow, by the way."

"Oh sorry, I should have asked." Fluttershy said as she sat down near the bar. She mentally kicked herself for being so rude.

"No, it's fine. I was kinda rambling." Amber Glow said ducking behind the counter and pulling out a kettle. Once she made two cups she went around to the other side to sit next to Fluttershy.

"I hope I'm not getting you in trouble by sitting here with you." Fluttershy said.

Amber waved a hoof dismissively. "Nah, I just have have to go around with the concessions cart in a half hour. I'm free until then. Normally I'd be in the break room, but… ah, never mind."

Fluttershy smiled. "But you were hanging around my room."

"Well… yeah. I swear I'm not some kinda crazy stalker or anything, but I just really wanted to find some way to talk to you."

"Hmm." Fluttershy sipped contently on her tea. "I'm glad you did. I think I really needed a friendly face right now."

"But aren't you with the princess?" Amber Glow asked, confused.

"Yeah but we, well, we had a fight." Fluttershy rested her chin on her hoof. "It was probably my fault."

"I'm sure that's not true." Amber said, resting a hoof on Fluttershy's. "You two will work it out. Do you want to talk about it?"

' _Yes.'_ Fluttershy thought. "No, thank you though. You're right, it'll work out eventually."

"Alright." Amber said, taking a sip of her tea before getting an excited grin. "Hey, is it true that you befriended Discord?"

"Oh, yes. He's really very sweet once you get to know him. We have tea every week."

"No way! Those must be some crazy tea parties."

The two talked until Amber had to get back to work. Little by little Fluttershy forgot about her fight with Twilight. Neither of them even noticed when they had ran out of tea.

"Hey, thanks for talking to me. It was really cool." Amber said.

"Oh, it was my pleasure." Fluttershy said.

"So, uhm…" Amber Glow fixed her mane before replacing her hat. "I was wondering if, uhm… uh, you know what, never mind."

She had done that several times while they were talking, usually when she wanted to ask something about Fluttershy but was worried she'd look weird. "Amber, really, you can just say whatever's on your mind."

"Oh, uhm, well you probably won't want to but… I'm gonna be in Ponyville for a few days, and I was wondering if you maybe like, wanted to go out for dinner some time."

Fluttershy blinked like a few times. "Do you mean… like a date?"

"You know what? Forget that. There's no way somepony like you would want to do that." Amber began to walk away.

Fluttershy hopped off her stool. "Amber, wait!" The brown pegasus turned towards her, her eyes wide. "I'd love to meet up with you again, but just as friends. If that's okay with you?"

"Oh. Of course!" Amber's smile again proved infectious, as Fluttershy caught it too. "That's totally cool. And I should have known somepony like you wouldn't be, you know."

Fluttershy's smile faded. How many times had she felt like that? She knew Twilight wouldn't like it but she couldn't let Amber feel alone. "That's not it. Actually I am a… I already have a marefriend."

Amber's eyes went wide and she broke into a huge grin. "Woah, really? That's so cool! I never knew that."

"Well, we're actually kind of secretly dating." Fluttershy said.

Even though the car was empty Amber dropped her voice. "Sweet Celestia, is it Princess Twilight?"

Fluttershy gave the tiniest of nods. "But please please please don't tell anypony!"

"I won't say a word. Trust me, I know what it's like to not want everypony to know about you." The brown pegasus looked sad for a moment before glancing at the clock. "Holy smokes, I'm gonna be late! Uhm, would it be cool if I went to see you tomorrow, maybe around lunch?"

"Of course. I live in a cottage on the outskirts of town. I'm sure pretty much anypony could give you directions."

"Got it! I'll be there, and thank you again." She rushed out with her cart. Fluttershy smiled to herself as she walked back to the room, wondering if this is how Rainbow felt around Scootaloo.

Fluttershy pushed open the door and sat next to Twilight.

"Hey Shy, I was about to go looking for you. You were gone so long you had me worried. Is everything okay?" Twilight kept her tone light, no doubt not wanting to further upset Fluttershy.

Fluttershy found she was still angry, much more than she had realized before entering. "I'm fine." she said in a tone that said she wasn't.

"Oh, okay." Twilight said. She tapped her hooves together for a moment. "Listen, Shy, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to make you upset. But I can't avoid whatever it was I did in the future if you don't talk to me about it."

"Don't worry about it." Fluttershy said.

"Okay." Twilight said. She was quiet for a moment. "So, what'd you do while you were out?"

Fluttershy would have been content to wait in silence, but she could appreciate Twilight trying to get back to friendly conversation. "Well, I talked to Amber Glow, the mare who took our tickets when we came in."

"That's nice. So, did you make a new friend?"

"Yeah, she was really nice." Fluttershy giggled. "Actually, she asked me out on a date."

"What?" Twilight said, a little too loudly. Even Spike jumped before staring resolutely out the window. "Well, what did you say?"

Fluttershy shook her head in disbelief. Didn't Twilight trust her? "I said no, of course. What did you think I'd say?"

"Yeah, I guess that was a dumb question." Twilight said.

"We're meeting for lunch tomorrow if you want to meet her."

"You're what!?" Twilight sat straight up. "Why are you meeting her for lunch? You said you told her no!"

"I said no to the date, not to being her friend." Fluttershy said. "I don't see what the problem is."

"You're meeting a pony who asked you out for lunch. How is that not a date?"

"Because it's not a date? I meet friends for lunch all the time. If it was a date why would I invite you? Do you really think I even want to date somepony else?"

Neither of them even noticed Spike slip out the door.

"I don't know." Twilight turned away from Fluttershy. "Sometimes I wonder if you wouldn't rather be with Rarity."

"What?" Fluttershy stood up. "I do not love Rarity. I would not rather be with Rarity. You're being unreasonable."

"I'm being unreasonable? I'm not the one with a date tomorrow! I'm not the one who ran off in front of the press and might have blown our cover!"

"It's not a date! Although if it was it'd be nice to have somepony who isn't afraid to be seen in public with me. I'm sick of being your dirty little secret!"

"You think I'm happy like this? That I want to stay hidden from everypony? No! I want to be able to tell everypony just as much as you do, but we just can't right now."

"When can we? What, if we get married? After that? Am I going to be your secret bride?"

"Of course not! I just need some time to figure everything out!"

"You'll always need time! I'm tired of hiding it. I'm done. You do what you want, but I don't care who knows about me anymore. From now on I'm not hiding that I like mares."

"No way. You can't just spring that on me!"

"What, I can't even tell ponies about myself now? I'm sorry if you have a problem with it, but I'm done being ashamed of that part of me."

"Fluttershy, you can't even say your a lesbian. I'm not the one with a problem!"

"It doesn't matter what you call yourself if you never tell anypony."

"If ponies know about you they'll wonder every time we're together, it's too suspicious."

"I'm sorry Twilight, but not every decision I make will revolve around you. This is about me and what I need to do for my life!"

"Well I'm sorry for thinking I was a part of that!"

"You are! You're the most important part of it, but you're still just a part. I need to do this, Twilight. Why can't you support me?"

"I do support you!"

"Yelling at me isn't supporting me!"

Twilight inhaled to yell again then caught herself. "I do support you." She said much calmer. "I understand why you want to come out, but please, give me some time. I don't mean forever, just a few days to think about things and then we'll talk about this again, calmly."

Fluttershy kind of wished they were still yelling. She knew she'd never be able to out reason Twilight in a calm discussion. She sighed. "Think about what you need to, but one way or another I'm tired of pretending there's something wrong with me." She walked towards the door.

"Fluttershy, wait. You don't have to go. Stay here with me. I promise I won't try to argue anymore, and if you really want me to I'll even leave if you want to be alone."

Fluttershy turned around and glared at Twilight. "Why? Are you afraid I'm going to leave with somepony else?"

"That's not-" Twilight shook her head as she realized her tone was getting defensive. She softened it before continuing "That's not what I said. I just don't want you to feel like you have to go."

"Sorry, but I have to find Amber and tell her my jealous lover said I'm not allowed to be her friend." She flung open the door and didn't listen to Twilight's reply.

She walked aimlessly and found herself in a transport car that only had a few crates in it. She laid down next to one and fumed quietly. Who was Twilight to tell her what to do with her life?

"Fluttershy? she turned to look behind her and saw Spike standing next to her nervously twiddling his claws.

"Oh, hi Spike. Sorry for… everything back there."

"It's okay." Spike sat down next to her. "I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"Aww, that's very sweet of you." Fluttershy nuzzled the little dragon. "I'll be fine, but could you check on Twilight for me?"

"Alright, but, uhm…" Spike played with his claws some more. "I know Twilight's stubborn, and she gets too worried about stuff, and she's being kinda selfish right now, but I know she'll come around. She really loves you, you know. Well, we both do." He threw his arms around her. Taken by surprise it took her a second to return the hug.

"I love you too, Spike. Don't worry, everything will be fine between me and Twilight."

"Yeah, okay." he said, letting go of her and kicking at the floor. "I'll, uh, go find Twilight then."

As he ran off Fluttershy thought about how accepting Twilight's family was of her, and how great Twilight herself usually was. She thought of all the times she woke up next to Twilight. Without ever realizing it morning had become her favorite part of the day, because she got to wake up next to the most wonderful mare she could imagine. _'But I don't really love her, I love the comfort. I love having somepony to hold me and stop the nightmares. I do love her, she's so special to me. I don't love her, I love being part of her family. I love her and her family. I've never loved somepony this much. I'll never be able to love her like she loves me. She can't really love me. Nopony could really love me. She'd be better off without me. I'd be better off with Rarity…'_

Fluttershy cried in the storage room until she felt the train jerk to a stop. _'How long was I in here for?'_ she wondered. Taking a deep breath she got up and wiped her eyes. Part of her wanted to just fly away so she wouldn't have to see anypony on the way out, but she still needed to get her saddlebag, so dodging around the ponies still collecting their luggage she made her way back to the room she'd avoided most of the trip. _'Twilight doesn't even like traveling in private rooms. She just wants to keep me hidden away.'_

Opening the door she found Twilight sulking in her seat while Spike gathered their stuff. She wasn't sure if she wanted to grab her stuff and leave, ignoring Twilight completely, or if she wanted to grab her in the tightest hug she could and apologize.

"I'm sorry." Twilight said. Her tone was cold and she didn't look at Fluttershy.

"Me too." Fluttershy said as she strapped on her bags. She walked over to Spike who was looking in between the two ponies in apprehension. "I'm going back to my house tonight Spike. I'm sure I'll see you sometime soon."

"Okay, just… remember what I said."

Fluttershy nodded then left the room without saying goodbye to Twilight. As she walked out a friendly voice called "Hey, Fluttershy!" She looked up to see Amber Glow standing by the exit with a broom and dustpan.

"Hi Amber." Fluttershy said, approaching the bubbly mare.

"So I just met, like, the coolest guy. He used to be a performer in Manehattan, and while we were talking he just starts singing this dramatic opera! I'm just like 'woah!' 'cause we're talking a stallion as old as my grandpa, but believe me he's still got it. Everypony gave him a standing ovation, it was the best."

Fluttershy giggled in spite of herself. There was something about Amber's smile that pushed away Fluttershy's problems. "That sounds wonderful."

"This job is so cool. Everyday there's a new story to hear, you never know who you'll run into." She looked away, but the smile never left her face. "I mean, I never thought I'd actually get to meet you." It was adorable how the outgoing mare still was kind of shy about meeting her.

' _Where did that come from?'_ Fluttershy looked away as she caught what she was thinking. _'I'm not supposed to think about anypony other than Twilight like that…'_

"Oh, Princess Twilight!" Amber called out. Fluttershy turned in time to see Twilight walking out the door. Spike said something to her as she left but Fluttershy couldn't make it out. He shrugged at them and ran after her.

"Uhm, she must not have heard me." Amber said doubtfully.

Fluttershy sighed. "I'm sorry, she's not usually like that."

"Hey, it's cool. We all have those days, right?" Amber shrugged it off, but her smile wasn't as bright.

"Yeah." Fluttershy nodded. "I'm sorry, but I really do need to check on the animals."

"Oh, of course. See you tomorrow, then?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Yup, I'm looking forward to it already."

Amber reached out a foreleg to hug her, hesitated, then offered a hoof bump instead. Fluttershy laughed and hugged her anyway. They said goodbye and Fluttershy walked off the train.

The walk back home seemed exceptionally lonely. She kept thinking about Twilight not wanting her to see Amber Glow. Part of her felt upset at Twilight for blowing the whole thing out of proportion, but part of her wondered if Twilight had a point. She might as well not deny it to herself, she was attracted to Amber, at least a little bit. _'It's not like I love her or anything. I don't even have a crush on her! What's wrong with thinking another mare is cute?'_ one half of her rationalized, _'Twilight's right, I shouldn't feel this way. I should only have eyes for one pony. Why do I want to get to know Amber so much if I'm faithful to Twilight?'_ the other half of her felt. Her thoughts conflicted all the way home.

When she arrived home she was surprised to find her light on and her door unlocked. She pushed it open and went inside. "Hello? Is anypony here?"

Applejack's head popped out from around the kitchen doorframe. "Hey there, sugarcube, welcome back. I hope ya don't mind me using your kitchen to sit a spell. Those animals got me beat."

Fluttershy set her bag near the door and walked into the kitchen. "Of course not. Thank you so much for helping me out." She sat down at the kitchen table, making sure to leave an empty seat between her and Applejack. "I hope they all behaved themselves while I was gone."

"Not a problem from any of them, except that rabbit." Applejack said, leaning back in the chair. "Couldn't hardly get him to sit down to eat a darn thing. I don't know where he got to now, but he was around here a moment ago."

Fluttershy sighed. "Sorry, he can be difficult. He's probably hiding because he's mad at me for leaving." While she would have loved to see Angel after being gone all week she wasn't in the mood to track him down.

"Heh, I'm just glad it was him and not the bear. So, uh, how'd everything go with Twilight's folks?"

Fluttershy smiled. She knew Applejack still felt uncomfortable about her and Twilight, but appreciated her acknowledging how important the trip had been for them. "Oh, they were great! Twilight Velvet made me this sweater, and Night Light taught me all kinds of new recipes. Shining Armor and Cadance were there too and we all played this game called Oubliettes and Ogres. They even got us a full set of everything we need to play here too."

"Sounds like y'all had a good time. Gotta say though, I figured you'd be back at Twilight's castle, though I can't say I blame ya for wantin' to check on the house first. I know I would."

"Oh, uhm, I was just gonna stay here tonight, actually." Fluttershy said, looking off to the side.

"Uh oh, what happened?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just a little homesick is all." Applejack gave her a look that made it clear she wasn't fooling anypony. "We had a fight."

"I'm all ears sugarcube. Tell me all about it."

As much as Fluttershy appreciated Applejack's offer to talk she wasn't sure how sympathetic her friend would be to her problems. It didn't escape her attention that Applejack always stood a few feet away from her these days. "It's nothing serious, we've just been spending a lot of time together lately. I think spending the night apart will be good for us."

Applejack looked unsure. "Well, if you say so, but I-"

She was cut off by a knock at the door. Fluttershy answered it to find Rainbow Dash, who walked in as soon as it was open. "So what happened?" she asked.

Fluttershy gave her best I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about smile and said "What do you mean?"

"Twilight just walked into the castle, looked at everypony, then just locks herself in her bedroom. Spike said I should just come talk to you about it."

"Everypony?" Fluttershy asked.

"We, ah, kinda had a surprise welcome home party waiting for you at the castle." Applejack said.

Even though she was still upset Fluttershy felt bad for Twilight. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if all her friends had came here to see them and she had shown up without Twilight.

"Well… alright, I'll tell you… We got into a fight on the train." Fluttershy told them about the reporter, and the fight about coming out, then she hesitantly told them about Amber Glow and the fight about her. She left out how she felt about Amber.

"So she asked you out, what's the big deal? It's not like she knew you had a marefriend." Rainbow said.

"She didn't keep flirting with you after you told her 'no', did she?" Applejack asked.

"No, I don't think she'd do something like that." Fluttershy said.

"Then I don't really see the problem either. I mean, maybe you coulda been a bit more careful with tellin' Twilight about that part, but she should know you wouldn't do anythin' behind her back like that."

"Yeah! And totally uncool of her to tell you who you can be friends with. Not to mention if you want to come out that's you're own business." Rainbow said.

"Well, I dunno about that part. Sure, she shouldn't of yelled at ya, and you do have the right to tell who you want 'bout that stuff, but I don't think it's unreasonable for her to want a few days to think it over first." Applejack said with a shrug.

"Of course it is! She just wants to wait until you lose the fire to do it! She knows that in a few days she'll be able to think of all this stuff to psych you out and not go through with it."

"I hear what you're sayin', but ya gotta remember this decision affects both of them."

"Uhm…"

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised _you'd_ say that." Rainbow said accusingly, folding her forelegs.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked defensively.

"Girls."

"You probably don't even want them to come out anyway."

"Don't you dare accuse me of not sticking by my friends. I just think they should think about this all the way through."

"Stop."

"Admit it, you just don't want to be the friend of the gay ponies!" Rainbow pushed a hoof into Applejack's chest.

Applejack smacked it away and adjusted her hat. "I've heard you say a lot of stupid things over the years, but that takes the cake. I don't care one way or the other about none of that!"

"Please…"

"None of what, AJ? If you're so accepting then why won't you even say it? They're gay. You have gay friends. But I guess saying nothing is better than what you called them when you first found out."

"I didn't know it was a bad word! Nopony ever told me that, I didn't mean nothing by it!"

"Please stop fighting!" Fluttershy had heard enough yelling for the day. She turned around and flew up the stairs, throwing herself into her bed and burying her face in a pillow. She screamed, then began sobbing.

She didn't even hear the hoofsteps as two ponies stopped in the doorway, unsure of what to say. While they thought about it a little white bunny hopped between their legs and onto the bed, nuzzling his way into her mane. As she stroked Angel she slowly calmed down.

"Hey, uh… I'm sorry Shy. That was way uncool." Rainbow said. "You too, AJ. I'm sorry I said all that stuff."

"Aw, 's okay. I'm sorry to both of you too. I can't believe I lost my temper like that." Applejack said.

"It's okay, girls. I think I'd just like to be alone for now though."

"Alright, well… if you need me just let me know." Rainbow said.

"Everything will work out sugarcube. And you, ya little furball, you've been a real pain in the rear all week, so you better take good care of Fluttershy. I reckon you owe it to both of us now." Applejack said. Angel stuck out his tongue at the orange pony before returning to hugging Fluttershy.

"Thank you, both of you. I'll see you girls later." Fluttershy said. Gingerly the two left the house while Fluttershy kept petting Angel. She didn't feel angry, or sad, or upset, or anything really. She felt drained and just stared at the ceiling for longer than she could say.

* * *

" _I don't like her hanging out with that rainbow pony. She's gonna turn her into a foggot."_

" _Come on, honey, she's eight years old. They don't even like colts yet, let alone fillies."_

" _Look, it's not even just the Rainbow thing. I did always wondered about Blaze, but at least he acts like a stallion. But his daughter's been fighting with colts and actually winning. Just listen to her talk, she might not be old enough yet, but mark my words the girl's gonna ruin our daughter."_

" _Fluttershy's friend is fighting? Oh dear…"_

" _She's uncontrollable. Blaze would be better off keeping that girl hidden away. I don't want to see her around the house anymore."_

* * *

Fluttershy got out of bed. She looked in the mirror, her eyes were completely bloodshot, her mane was a crazy mess, and her fur was matted down from crying all day. She went to the bathroom to wash her face. As she toweled off and checked her reflection she frowned. Still a mess, but she wasn't planning on seeing anypony else that night. She walked down to the kitchen.

Sometimes she thought it was funny. Everypony always thought Rainbow Dash was the questionable one, but nopony really suspected Fluttershy. It didn't seem funny right now. _'…better off keeping that girl hidden away.'_

Fluttershy pulled out a tea bag then put it back. She really didn't want to go back to her bedroom. Instead she pulled out Rainbow's coffee and turned on the stove.

' _She's gonna turn her into a faggot.'_ Fluttershy didn't usually think about things like what made a pony like mares or stallions. But she knew having a friend who liked mares wouldn't change your sexuality. If there was something that caused Fluttershy to not be attracted to stallions it wasn't Rainbow. Sometimes she found that funny too.

Once she was done making the coffee she turned off the stove and poured a mug, adding milk and sugar. She didn't bother emptying the pot, leaving the remaining coffee to sit. She sat down and took a sip, scrunching up her face at the taste of it. She really hated coffee. Still, she kept drinking, even when the occasional tear fell in.


	14. Picking Up Pieces

The castle felt bigger and darker than usual. _'Relax, I'm just nervous.'_ Fluttershy told herself. She pushed open the door and walked the familiar path to Twilight's room, her hoofsteps echoing in the otherwise silent castle. Even with it being night the castle seemed oddly dark, and several times Fluttershy thought she saw things move in the shadows, but whenever she turned to look there was nothing there. As terrified as she was of talking to Twilight she was relieved once she reached the door, until she heard the first sound from something other than herself; voices.

"Well, I definitely see why Fluttershy likes you so much." Fluttershy stopped, her hoof held in the air poised to open the door. She recognized that voice. Although she had only heard it for the first time the day before she was positive it was Amber Glow.

"Let's not worry about her right now. I'm still not done with you yet." Twilight said. She heard Amber laugh, which ended in a moan.

Fluttershy thought she might faint. Her chest tightened as her breaths became rapid and shallow. This wasn't happening. It wasn't what it sounded like. Twilight would never… She pushed open the door to see a mess of lavender and brown fur entangled on Twilight's bed, locked in a passionate kiss.

"T-Twily?" Fluttershy squeaked. The two ponies pulled apart and looked at her.

"Oh, hey Fluttershy. You should totally join us." Amber said. Although her smile was the same one that had consistently spread to Fluttershy the day before she found it much less appealing now.

Twilight just laughed. "Oh, she'd never do that. I can't even get her to sleep with me." She shook her head and addressed Fluttershy directly. "You know this is really all your fault. What did you expect? If you're not going to even try to satisfy me then I've got to find somepony who will." She pressed her lips to Amber's again, then Amber's kisses worked their way lower and lower. Fluttershy wanted to turn away but she stood transfixed, staring at her marefriend's face as her eyes rolled back. "It's better this way, really. After all, why would anypony actually _want_ to sleep with somepony like you?"

Fluttershy backed up without turning away. She bumped into something soft and turned to see a dark blue alicorn. "Luna!" Fluttershy threw her forelegs around the princess and buried her face into her chest.

"Hush now, my friend. There's no need for tears. Open your eyes." Luna said. Fluttershy was afraid of what she'd see, but she trusted the princess and did as she said. They weren't in the castle anymore. They were under a tree in a field of flowers, the same place Luna always took her from her nightmares.

"It all felt so real…" Fluttershy said.

Luna wrapped a wing around her. Normally while awake Fluttershy would be uneasy with the display of affection from anypony other than Twilight, but in dreaming she found comfort in it. Because of the alicorn's size her wing surrounded Fluttershy, and as the yellow pegasus leaned against her friend she felt safe from everything. "It always does." Luna said.

"Why would I dream about something like that? I know Twilight would never do that." Fluttershy said.

"Our dreams are not always easily understood. Even I sometimes have trouble understanding their significance. This time, however, the answer is clear once you look at it from the correct angle. Forget the action that you saw. Think instead on Twilight's words."

As much as Fluttershy didn't want to think about it she knew she couldn't forget them. "It's because Twilight's tired of waiting for me to be ready."

Luna shook her head. "There are some who believe that our dreams tell us about the world, or the future. They are wrong. Our dreams do not tell us about anypony but ourselves. This is why they are so important. Your dreams will never tell you what is in Twilight's heart, only your own. So then, what did this dream tell you about what is in your heart?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment. "It's not because Twilight's upset with me, but because I think she is?"

Luna smiled and nodded, but kept her eyes on Fluttershy, waiting for more.

"I'm afraid of losing her because I'm not ready, but I'm also afraid of… intimacy." Fluttershy lied down with her head on her hooves. Luna folded her wing back and sat next to her.

"Have you talked about this with Twilight?" Luna asked.

"Uhm… it's come up. She said she's okay with waiting until I'm ready, but I think she's getting frustrated."

"Yes, I'd be surprised if it hadn't. But I meant have you told her you're afraid of sexual intimacy?"

"No, I… I couldn't"

"Because she'd want to know why?" Luna asked. Fluttershy nodded. "You will have to cross that bridge eventually. I believe talking about it with her would help you tremendously, and I can assure you that you have no cause for concern about her reaction."

Fluttershy knew she was right, but couldn't shake her fears. "Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if we would both be happier if she did, uhm… sleep with somepony else. That way we wouldn't have to worry about this anymore."

"Well, there are ponies who do that, and many of them have completely healthy and loving relationships. But I do not think an open relationship is the best course of action for either of you."

"Why not?"

"Even with your blessing I don't think Twilight would forgive herself, if she'd even agree to it in the first place. And remember what the other mare said when you first entered the room. Everything in dreams comes from your mind and reflects your thoughts, although not always in ways that are readily apparent. She invited you to join. As an aspect of your subconscious mind, what do you think she represents?"

Fluttershy had been too preoccupied with Twilight to think much about Amber's role in her dream. "Uhm… well, Amber is really brave. She's always going to new places and meeting new ponies. Is she the part of me that wants to try new things?"

Luna smiled. "Yes, very good. I was unaware that you knew her personally, but with that in mind the message seems even more clear. There is a part of you that _is_ ready to experiment with your sexuality."

Fluttershy felt much more comfortable talking about personal things in her dreams, and had been seeing a lot of Luna in the past few months. They had even written the occasional letter back and forth. But while she knew that Luna was right, talking openly about her desires was not something Fluttershy was willing to do. Instead she turned the conversation elsewhere. "I met Amber Glow on the train yesterday. She was really nice and we talked for a while, but she asked me out on a date. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but Twilight was so jealous and we even got into a fight about it."

"Really? Well I hope you didn't throw away a friendship because Twilight is being hypocritical."

"No, we're meeting for lunch later today. What do you mean hypocritical?"

"Well, let me put it like this." Luna said with a grin. "Next time she says something about your friendship with Amber Glow tell her you don't have a problem with her friendship with me."

Fluttershy blinked at the princess a few times, trying to wrap her head around what she just said. "You mean you have a crush on Twilight?"

"What can I say? You're a lucky mare." Fluttershy would expect most ponies to be embarrassed about that, but Luna's confident grin never faltered. "Does that bother you?"

"No. I love Twilight. She's patient, kind, understanding, beautiful, she can do so many things, but she never feels like she's better than other ponies. She's wonderful, I'm sure lots of ponies feel that way about her." Fluttershy looked up at Luna. "If anything I feel sorry for you. I know how hard it can be to have feelings for somepony when they don't feel the same way back."

"Do not worry, Fluttershy. I am well practiced in dealing with these emotions. I told Twilight that the feelings that I had for her ended sometime ago, because I didn't want her to feel sorry for me. But if she is being stubborn about your friend, then by all means tell her I informed you that this is not actually the case. Twilight Sparkle led you all to saving me. She will not be easy to get over."

Unsure of what to say Fluttershy just wrapped a foreleg around the princess, which caused her to laugh. "It is not often I enter another pony's dream and find them comforting me. I do not think it has ever been because I had feelings for their marefriend. Truly, you need not worry about me, my friend. Our time here is limited, as the sun will rise shortly. Tell me, is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

"Well…" She was scared to tell Luna about her feelings for Amber. What if Luna told her she _was_ a bad pony after all? What if she told Twilight? Luna nodded in encouragement and Fluttershy decided that if she never told anypony she would never be at peace with it "I think Twilight might be right. I think I shouldn't see Amber any more."

"And why is that?"

"Well, I… I think I'm attracted to her." Fluttershy wouldn't meet Luna's eyes.

"She was very pretty." Her tone was casual, no sign of judgement. She stated it as a simple fact, as if she was just describing the weather.

"But I shouldn't think about other ponies like that. If I really loved Twilight I wouldn't."

"Tell me, Fluttershy, where are we?" Luna said, gesturing around them.

Fluttershy was confused, but she went along with it. "This is a field by my house. When it's not a dream, I mean."

"Yes, but what is its significance to you?"

Fluttershy didn't need to take in her surroundings to know exactly where they were. She'd never forget this place as long as she lived. "This is where Twilight first told me that she had feelings for me."

Luna nodded. "I see. I thought it might be something like that."

"You mean you didn't know?" Fluttershy asked. She thought Luna knew everything that happened in a dream.

Luna shook her head. "You thought I brought you here? I did not. I am but a visitor in your mind. At times I can guide you, though. I asked your subconscious to bring us to the place you'd be the most comfortable. I was surprised the first time you brought us here. Most of the time I end up in the dreamer's house. But you see, Twilight is your comfort."

"Sometimes I worry that's all she is. That I don't love her, I love the peace she brings me." Fluttershy said, almost more to herself than to Luna.

"And why should that be any different? She is your comfort _because_ you love her. You told me earlier the things you love about her, and while they are fine things, those are not why you love her. Love, real love, is harder to place. You do not love somepony because of what they are, you love them because of how they make you feel. You love her because she fills you with peace and happiness as no one else can. Amber Glow is a beautiful mare. One only needs eyes to be attracted to her. This does not affect the true love you share with Twilight and it does not mean you'll falter in keeping true to her. It does not mean anything, really."

Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you, Luna." She knew that more ponies looked up to Princess Celestia, but she couldn't help but feel like Luna was really the wisest pony she'd ever met.

"You're quite welcome. But it is time I leave. The night ends and I must lower the moon, but if you need me again, please never hesitate to reach out." Fluttershy nodded and waved as the dream came to an end.

* * *

Fluttershy woke up at the kitchen table. Her head was killing her and she had spilled the last of her third cup of coffee. She desperately wanted a glass of water to wash the horrible taste out of her mouth, but first she walked outside to watch the moon disappear over the horizon. Smiling to herself she thought of all the great friends she had made over the past couple years. She went back inside and finally got a glass of water, which didn't really help.

Fifteen minutes later after cleaning the kitchen and brushing her teeth thoroughly she was back outside. She felt horrible for not checking on the animals. She knew Applejack was dependable, but she couldn't help but worry. As she trudged through the snow she hummed merrily and was soon surrounded by all sorts of animals. "Good morning! I missed you all so much!" Fluttershy had an entourage that followed her as she walked along the outskirts of Everfree, checking on nests, dens, and burrows as she went. She always enjoyed her job, but today didn't feel like work at all. Her heart felt so light that she flew with the birds, ran with the bunnies, and played on the ice with the otters.

"Okay, that's seriously the cutest thing I've ever seen."

Fluttershy bolted into a sitting position as two of the foxes she had been rolling around with ran behind her, with the bravest one standing in front. Amber Glow stood nearby with an apologetic expression. "Uhm… how long have you been there?"

"A few minutes. I didn't mean to startle you or your pets, so I was just gonna wait until you were done, but it kinda seemed like I'd be waiting a while." Amber smiled sheepishly. "I can come back later if you want. I'm probably a little early, I don't know when you normally do lunch but it's like noon now."

"Already? I guess I lost track of time. But you don't need to leave, I already finished all my chores." She got up to walked over to her friend while the brave fox jumped onto her back. "And they aren't really my pets, I just help take care of them."

"That's so cool. When nopony answered the door I saw all these animals in the distance, so I got curious, I didn't think I'd find you out here." Amber carefully reached a hoof out to pet the the fox, who used it as a bridge to get onto Amber's back. "He's just the most precious thing! I want, like, ten of them."

Fluttershy giggled and lifted the fox off Amber. "Alright, run along now. I'll play with you again tomorrow." She set the fox down and he ran off to the others. Smiling at Amber she led the way back to her cottage.

Outside the door she noticed a bag filled with what looked like a stack of paper. "What's that?" she asked.

"Oh, uhm… well, I guess you'll see it sometime." Amber pulled out an issue of Pony Magazine. The headline read 'Royal Scandal: Princess Twilight's Secret Lover.' It had the picture of Twilight's shocked reaction to the reporter's question next to one of her and Fluttershy walking side by side.

Whatever reaction Amber had expected was probably not Fluttershy laughing. "You're taking it well."

"Well, they're not wrong." Fluttershy said. "Is that entire bag full of these?"

"Yeah. On the way over I walked past the newstand and figured you'd be upset, so I bought them all, but I don't know how many were already sold. I know I shouldn't of, that it'll just make their sales go up, but I panicked. I know you don't want ponies to know about you two."

Fluttershy smiled. "It's okay. Thank you for doing that, I'll give you back whatever you paid."

Amber shook her head. "No way, I'm not taking your bits. I was the idiot who didn't realize they were half sold out already."

"Don't worry about it. I have some bits Twilight gave me keep hidden away in case of an emergency." She opened the door and gestured for Amber to come inside. "She's the one who actually wants to cover it up anyway."

"Oh, uhm. I know it's not really any of my business but is that what you two were fighting about?" Amber asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"That's part of it." Fluttershy said. She decided it would be best not to mention the other part.

"That's always tough. Back when I was living in Fillydelphia my last marefriend and I fought about that a lot."

"Is that why you two broke up?"

"Nah, we had a lot of problems. In the end we were pretty much fallen apart when she decided she even wasn't even into mares, that it was just a phase she went through."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure you'll find somepony else."

Amber shrugged. "I'm not really stressing it right now. I'm more interested in traveling then dating."

Fluttershy wondered how true that was considering Amber had just asked her out the day before, but decided not to press the issue. Instead she went into the kitchen and checked the cupboard, which was mostly empty. She never did get around to shopping after they got back. "On second thought, let's go out for lunch."

"Sounds good to me, lead the way." Amber said.

Wary of being seen by Twilight should she happen to be out Fluttershy took her to a small diner. It was certainly a nice place to eat, but a far cry from anything romantic. They both got hay burgers and a basket of fries to share.

"How long are you in Ponyville for?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm on the first train out Monday morning, heading for Vanhoover."

"Is there anywhere you haven't been?"

"The Crystal Empire. That train doesn't make too many trips so it's always operated by the same crew. Aside from that I've been everywhere the rail connects to, but I've never been anywhere else. I'm still working on that part of my adventure."

"I'm sure you'll get there. I can't believe you faced your fears all by yourself. I don't think I could have done that."

"Hey that's Fluttershy. Did you read the news?"

"Yeah, but I don't know. If she's dating Twilight then why's she out with another mare?"

"Maybe they broke up already. You know how those celebrity relationships go."

Fluttershy ducked into her mane. She nibbled on fries as she pretended to be unaware of the whispers that were spreading around them. She looked at her half eaten burger and found she wasn't hungry anymore. Going into town was a mistake.

Amber's eyes narrowed as she frowned, but she took a deep breath before smiling and turning to the two ponies who had started the conversation. "Hi there. My name's Amber Glow. I'm guessing you already know my friend here. We were wondering if you wanted to come sit with us?" She sounded as friendly as always.

The two ponies looked at each other for a moment before one of them asked "Why's that?"

"Well, it's always more fun to talk _to_ somepony instead of about them."

Both the other ponies looked embarrassed. "Uhm, actually we were just leaving. Come on, Lyra." Even though she had only addressed the two that had started everything the entire room found themselves silently contemplating their menus.

Amber turned back to Fluttershy and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Fluttershy said meekly. "Uhm, would you mind if we just go now?"

"Of course not." Amber said, shoving the last bite of her burger in her mouth. On the way out she apologized again. "I never really think things through. What if they decided to take me up on my offer to talk with us? That would of been so awkward."

"Don't worry about it. Everything worked out okay." Fluttershy looked around them, noticing some ponies seemed to gesture in their direction.

"So, what are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?"

"I haven't really thought about it." Fluttershy said. She did want to see if Twilight was okay, but she didn't know what would happen if she showed up at the castle. Above all else she wanted to avoid another day like yesterday. "I guess I'd like to visit my friend Rarity. She was with Twilight last night, so maybe she can tell me if she's still mad."

"Yeah, probably best to get that whole thing sorted out." Amber said.

"Would you like to come? You can make another friend in Ponyville, and see a bit more of the town."

"Yeah, that sounds great!"

The two ponies walked the short way to the Carousel Boutique, talking about the town. The whole way Fluttershy noticed ponies glancing at her, but whenever she would get too self conscious Amber would point out a shop or landmark to ask about, and she'd forget about the gossipers.

"Here we are." Fluttershy announced.

"Cool. I've never actually been to a dress shop before."

Fluttershy opened the door. As the bell jingled to signify somepony had come in a voice called out the familiar greeting, albeit a surprisingly squeaky voice. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and, uhm, magnific!"

"Magnifique." Fluttershy corrected. "Hello Sweetie, is Rarity around?"

"Hi Fluttershy! Yeah, she's asleep. I'll get her for you."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'd hate to disturb her…" While Rarity had never been a morning pony, it was already afternoon, leaving Fluttershy to wonder why she would be asleep.

"She won't mind. She said not to bother her unless it was for a customer, Twilight, or Fluttershy." Before Fluttershy could protest the little unicorn had already run off.

"Swanky place." Amber said, looking around. "She really makes all these herself?"

"Yes. While she has asked for assistance a few times, she normally does everything from designing to making all the clothes herself."

"That's pretty cool. I've tried my hoof at art before, but I don't really have the patience for it."

"Fluttershy, darling, I'm so glad you stopped by!" They turned to see Rarity enter the room. "I do hope you'll forgive my appearance. I was up all night planning something I think you're going to love!"

Despite the lack of sleep Fluttershy couldn't notice a hair out of place. The fashionable pony was as radiant as always. "Oh, I hope we're not bothering you. This is my friend, Amber Glow. Amber, this is Rarity."

Rarity smiled broadly. "Why hello, darling. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Hi! These outfits are amazing!"

Rarity laughed and waved a hoof dismissively. "Oh these? They're just show pieces, really. A true work of beauty will only ever look just right on the pony it was created for."

"Did you design the dresses from Fluttershy's modeling days?" Amber asked.

"Well, I did design some, but only one was ever used. I must say, I'm surprised Fluttershy told you about that. She's normally very shy about that whole experience." Rarity said.

"Uhm… I didn't." Fluttershy said, staring at the ground. She'd rather forget that whole fiasco, and always felt especially bad about it whenever it came up around Rarity.

"Hey, speaking of subject changes, that's from Hinny of the Hills. You didn't design that did you?"

"A fan of musical theatre, I take it? Yes, that's from Hinny of the Hills, and I did have the pleasure of assisting with some of the designs, although merely as a collaborator." Rarity said. "Generally I design ensembles for formal events, it was great fun to work on performance costumes for a change."

"That's cool. I bet ponies come lining up for a chance to have you design for them."

"Oh, I do alright for myself. I was lucky enough to get a few high profile clients early on, but certainly the biggest boost has been being the number one designer for Twilight." She looked towards Fluttershy for a moment before addressing Amber again. "And on that note I do beg your pardon, but I really must discuss something with Fluttershy privately. I do hope you won't mind."

"Of course, don't worry about me."

Fluttershy and Rarity stepped into the workroom. "So, uhm, how did things go with Twilight last night?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, it took ages but eventually Spike got her out of that room so me and Pinkie Pie could speak with her. She told us you two had a bit of a disagreement."

Fluttershy sighed. "More than a bit."

"Well then, what provoked this whole incident? Twilight told us she thought you were okay with your relationship not being public knowledge."

"I was, at first. When we first started dating I didn't want other ponies to know either. Then as time went by, well… I guess I just always thought it was temporary, that we'd tell everypony eventually." Fluttershy twirled her mane around in her hoof. "I guess I started to feel like Twilight was ashamed of me."

"Oh, darling, that's simply not true! Twilight adores you." Rarity said. "Tell me, have you talked to her about this?"

"Yes. Or, well, I tried to… I've tried to tell her I want to stop hiding it a few times, but I just…"

Rarity gave her a knowing smile. "Had problems speaking your mind?"

Fluttershy nodded. "I know I should have told her, but whenever it came up she would always talk about it like it was something distant that we didn't need to worry about right now, and I'd lose my nerve. This wouldn't have happened if I was more confident."

"You know darling, you can always ask for help. I'd be happy to help, of course. I could be a mediator to make sure both sides have the chance to say exactly what's on their mind."

Fluttershy smiled. "You know, Rainbow said pretty much the same thing before we left for Canterlot."

Rarity chuckled. "Well, I certainly would like to believe I'd be less biased than Rainbow in helping both of you, but yes, you could ask her, or any of our other friends for help. We're all here for you, darling."

"Thank you. I just wish this whole thing could be over with. I wanted to talk to her today, but I don't want to fight anymore. I know she'll be mad at me…"

"Fluttershy, she's not angry with you. I know she over reacted, but really, you simply took her by surprise. We both know how poorly Twilight handles the unexpected."

"She didn't tell you about the other half of the argument, did she?" Fluttershy wasn't sure how she felt. Part of her was amused Twilight had left that part out, part of her was upset.

"Was there more, aside from your disagreement on whether or not to remain secretive?"

"Yes." Fluttershy glanced at the other room. All of a sudden she wasn't sure this was a good idea. She didn't want to cause any unnecessary drama for Amber. "After the first fight I left the room and somepony actually asked me out. I didn't think it was that big of a deal but Twilight…"

"Might be upset if she found out you were still spending the day with the charming mare?" Rarity finished, causing Fluttershy to blush and stutter incoherently. "Don't worry darling, I suspect Twilight didn't tell us that part because even she knows she's being foalish. There's certainly no reason to feel guilty about your new friend. Besides, I know of another friendship that had a similar circumstance, and I'd say that turned out well in the end." Rarity said, putting a foreleg around Fluttershy's shoulder. Fluttershy might have felt better if Twilight hadn't thrown that in her face too.

"So you think I should go talk to her?"

"When you're ready, darling. In the meanwhile I believe we left your friend at the mercy of my sister for long enough."

As they approached the other room voices became increasingly apparent. "Are they… singing?" Fluttershy asked. They opened the door and stared at the sight in front of them.

"And I'm a dancing pony!" Amber and Sweetie Belle sang, finishing the big finale of Hinny of the Hills. Sweetie Belle was wearing the outfit Amber had noticed earlier, although it fit poorly, while Amber was wearing an old fashioned tuxedo jacket, complete with a bow tie, bowler hat, and even a fake moustache.

"Sweetie Belle! What have I told you about playing with my outfits?" Rarity glared at her sister who fidgeted nervously.

"Sorry, it was my idea." Amber said. "I tried on the hat then wanted to try on the rest of the outfit."

Sweetie began to protest. "But that's not-"

Amber shushed her, then leaned in and did her best gentlecolt impression, which all things considered was pretty good. "Trust me here, kiddo, I got these ladies wrapped around my hoof."

Fluttershy laughed. Even Rarity couldn't help but smile. "Well, I suppose I can let it slide this time, but really now, you know better."

Sweetie Belle grinned and tried to run up to her sister, but tripped on the overly large dress. Rarity sighed. "Now please take that off before you tear it. You're free to go play with your friends now, I think I can manage the shop for the rest of the day."

Once Sweetie Belle threw off the dress she ran for the door, stopping to talk to Amber. "Thanks for singing with me, and for, uhm…" She glanced back at the dress.

Amber pulled off her hat and bowed. "Anytime, my dear. Now, if you'll excuse me I do believe I have another call on my time." Sweetie Belle ran off and Amber walked over to Rarity and Fluttershy. "So what do you think?" she asked with a wide grin.

"You look…" Fluttershy searched for something nice to say then shook her head. "Ridiculous."

Amber laughed. "Hey, what? I thought you were supposed to be the Element of Kindness. I think I'm quite the dashing gent if I do say so myself."

"Wherever did you find that thing?" Rarity asked. "I made it for a bad taste party ages ago, I could have sworn I'd gotten rid of it." Rarity said, looking at the old fashioned jacket as if it might infect her.

"It was in a dusty box over there. Sorry I put it on without asking, but it didn't really seem like something you cared about."

"It's quite alright, dear. I could never sell anything _that_ out of style, anyway." Rarity waved a hoof dismissively.

"Well, I'll buy it. How much is it?" Amber seemed immune to Rarity's horrified expression, smiling as she brushed more dust off the jacket.

"Darling, please, I could make you something much more fitting that that old thing!"

"But it fits fine." Amber shrugged.

Rarity's eye twitched. "No, I meant that… never mind. If you really want it you can have it. The only thing I ask in return is that you _don't_ tell anypony who made it."

"Score!" Amber threw her hooves up. Her happy expression stayed in place as her new hat floated off her head surrounded by a light blue aura.

"We are at least fixing the trim from that garish shade of green. Black is traditional, but I think red would look nicer with your coat. And that bow tie is absolutely not to be worn with that jacket. Come here, I have a better one." Amber shrugged and followed Rarity. Fluttershy smiled and fell in step behind them.

By the time Rarity was done making minor adjustments Amber did look halfway decent in the outfit. Except for one detail.

"The mustache is a bit much." Fluttershy said.

"Nah, it's suave."

"I'm going to have to agree with Fluttershy on this one." Rarity said.

"My dear lady, while I hold your keen sense of fashion in the highest regard, I'm afraid I simply cannot part with the mustache." Amber tugged on it, but it remained on her face. "I used the wrong glue."

Rarity chuckled. "A hot bath tonight ought to loosen it off, but do be delicate unless you want to pull your fur out with it. Although if you _do_ end up with a bald patch come see me, I'm sure I can fill it in for you."

Amber tipped her hat. "Thank you, my lady."

"Now, while it was a pleasure to meet you, I do have so much to do."

"What are you planning? It must be important if you were up all night." Fluttershy said.

"I'm not telling!" Rarity said in a sing song voice. "It is _very_ important though. Amber Glow, I do hope you'll be in Ponyville a week from Thursday?"

"I can try to be. I work on the train, so there's no telling when I'll be where, but maybe I could talk scheduling into working around it."

Well, if it is at all possible, I certainly do think it'll be an event worth attending."

"I'm sure I can call in some favors to make that happen."

"I do hope so. Now I really must get to work. Although my door is always open if you need me, darling."

Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you, I think I'll be okay now." Fluttershy hugged her friend and the pegasi made their exit.

Amber glanced at the sun. "I daresay I've kept you long enough, my lady. I believe there is another with whom you should be with." Dropping the gentlecolt voice she added "I mean, if you're ready to talk to her."

Fluttershy nodded. "I think that's a good idea. I'll walk you to your hotel along the way."

"Egads, what would the fellows say if they knew I let a dame walk me to my room?" Fluttershy raised her eyebrow and tried not to smile. "Bah, stuff and nonsense. Of course I would be delighted to walk with such lovely lady."

Amber took the lead as they set off. Ponies everywhere stopped to look at them, but most of the attention was drawn to the mustachioed mare. Every time somepony would point or mutter something about them Amber would politely tip her hat and greet them in character. Some awkwardly looked away, but most smiled and waved back.

"Today was fun, maybe sometime before I leave we can do it again." Amber said once they reached the hotel.

"That'd be nice." Fluttershy said. "Hopefully Twilight will want to join us next time."

"Yeah, that'd be cool. I'd love to meet her. And don't worry about anything, it'll all work out."

"I'll try not to." Fluttershy said. "I'll let you know how everything goes."

They hugged and waved goodbye, then Fluttershy walked the rest of the way to Twilight's castle with her head held high. Although some ponies continued to stare she was able to ignore them. It was only once she stood at the castle door that she felt daunted. She stared at it thinking about her dream. Of course she didn't expect it to come true, but she still felt the same sense of dread, standing in front of the castle. She meekly pushed open the door and entered.

The entry hall was empty. "Hello?" she called quietly, to no answer. Not surprising. The castle was large and Twilight would probably be in either her room or the library, both of which were upstairs. As she ascended the stairs she wondered if she imagined the unnatural stillness in the air.

She knocked on Twilight's door, but got no answer. "Twilight?" she called, pushing it open. The room was empty. She walked in and checked Twilight's study, which was also empty. She walked out to check the library when Spike popped up from his room around the corner.

"Hey Fluttershy, what's up?"

Fluttershy smiled, relieved at the normalcy the dragon's appearance brought with him. "Hi Spike, is Twilight around?"

Spike gave her a confused look. "Isn't she with you? She said she was gonna meet you for lunch hours ago."

"She actually went? Oh no, I wasn't home. She hasn't come back since then?"

Spike shook his head. "Maybe she went to Sugarcube Corner, or the Carousel Boutique. She was up working on something with Rarity and Pinkie Pie last night."

"Thanks Spike. I'll go find her." Fluttershy ran down the stairs and out the door before taking to the air. _'Please still be there.'_

She landed in front of her house and opened the door. She almost ran up to her bedroom to look for Twilight but doubled back as she realized she was asleep on the couch. She had one of Fluttershy's books still in her hooves and a Pony Magazine lay open on the floor. _'Oh well, she was bound to find out eventually.'_

Fluttershy approached her marefriend, whose ear twitched in her sleep. She smiled and realized she wasn't upset anymore. She leaned down and kissed Twilight on the cheek.

"Morning beautiful." Twilight said as she wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy in an awkward hug.

Fluttershy smiled and climbed onto the couch, which really was too small for even one pony to fully stretch out on it, leaving Fluttershy lying on Twilight more than the couch. "Why are you asleep on the couch?"

"Didn't sleep last night. Was trying to stay up until you got home, but I fell asleep during the prologue." Twilight said, rubbing her eyes.

"I meant why weren't you in the bed." Fluttershy nudged her.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want me in your room. But I'd be happy sleeping on your couch. I just… don't want to go home alone.

Fluttershy nuzzled against Twilight's chest. "You're being silly. Of course you can sleep in our bed."

Twilight stroked her mane quietly for a while. Fluttershy wondered why she had ever been so upset. The whole thing seemed silly now that they were together again. "You know, you should just move in with me." Twilight said.

Fluttershy giggled. "And you said I'm the suspicious one." As soon as she said it she regretted it. She had meant it as a joke, but as Twilight's hoof stopped on her shoulder she knew it was a mistake.

"I'm sorry I said that. I'm sorry for a lot of what I said yesterday. I was out of line." Twilight said. "Especially about your friend. I don't know what I was thinking. Why should I be upset that somepony else sees how amazing you are? And despite how I acted yesterday I want you to know I do trust you completely. I hope you didn't cancel your plans because of me."

"No, we still had lunch. I didn't think you'd come and I didn't have much food here, so we went out."

"That's nice. I'm glad I didn't ruin your day." Twilight went back to stroking her mane.

"Uhm… she's in Ponyville until Monday. If, uhm, you wanted to meet her." Fluttershy was glad she had her head on Twilight's chest so she didn't have to make eye contact.

"Yeah, I think that sounds good." Twilight said. "I promise I'll be on my best behavior."

Fluttershy listened to Twilight's heartbeat. She was tempted to let it lull her to sleep but she wasn't really tired and she knew napping with two ponies on this couch was a mistake. Her eyes wandered the room and she noticed the bag of magazines, which reminded her there was something else they needed to talk about.

"I'm sorry too. I should have talked to you about wanting to come out. It wasn't fair to drop it on you." Fluttershy said.

"Don't worry about it. Interesting article today though. Did you read it?"

"I only saw the headline, I didn't read the whole article."

"Remember how that reporter mentioned a 'reliable source' told them that you spent the holiday with me?"

"Yeah."

"Well the article talks about her too. It doesn't give a name but it says 'a lifelong neighbor'. That can only be Ivy Jewel, nosey witch."

"Why would she do that though?"

"Who knows. Maybe just because she's a busybody, but I think it's 'cause I keep not showing up to her dinner invitations." Twilight gestured towards the bag with her head. "Why do you have so many of them anyway?"

"Oh, Amber bought them. She didn't want anypony spreading rumors about us."

"That was nice of her, but it didn't work. I was asked about it half a dozen times, just on the way here."

"Really? Nopony's asked me, thankfully. I don't know what I'd say if they did. I'm so bad at stuff like that."

Twilight attempted to shrug which didn't really work with the pegasus on top of her. "Just tell them what I did. We're going to address the claim at an official event a week from Thursday, and until then you'd rather not have to explain the whole thing to every single pony in Ponyville."

Fluttershy lifted her head to look at Twilight. "Rarity said she was planning something for that day."

Twilight smiled. "Yeah, me, her, and Pinkie actually. You too, if you want. We decided to host a press release garden party to break the news."

Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was hearing. "The news?"

Twilight nodded. "About us. That we're officially the first same sex royal couple."

Fluttershy tried to say something, to thank her, but no words felt big enough. Eventually she pulled Twilight into a kiss instead. She wrapped one hoof around Twilight's back and the other around her head and after a moment opened her mouth for Twilight's tongue. Twilight's hoof moved down her body, moving slowly over her flank to her thigh. Fluttershy inhaled sharply as it moved further.

Twilight pulled away. "I'm sorry! I'm not trying to, I mean, I know you're not…" She tapped her hooves together nervously. "I'd never try to push you into anything."

Fluttershy hadn't been thinking. Now that she was she found herself terrified of how things could have gone. "It's okay." she said. Even though they were side by side the distance between them felt vast. "Do you… ever get sick of waiting for me?"

Twilight took Fluttershy's hooves in her own. "I love you Shy, with all my heart. And I'll wait as long as you need me to. And if you're never ready then I'll still love you, that doesn't have to be part of our relationship."

Fluttershy blushed. "I… I want it to be, though. I just…"

Twilight smiled and kissed her cheek. "You know, I did end up skipping lunch. What do you say we get an early dinner?"

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "Okay. And thank you, Twily. For everything."

They left the house to go into town. As they set out Fluttershy was careful to keep distance between them, but Twilight soon closed it, and they walked into Ponyville side by side.


	15. Front Page News

Rarity had, of course, offered to make entirely new outfits for them both, but Twilight knew she already had her hooves full. Her hard work showed as everything looked perfect, although the high class unicorn probably wouldn't agree. Pinkie Pie had ensured that the garden party had enough party in it to keep it enjoyable for everypony. This was Ponyville, after all, not Canterlot. For her part Twilight organized the event, Making schedules, supervising plans, and meeting with ponies to make sure everything went smoothly. For the most part Fluttershy just told ponies that she liked their ideas, but occasionally she came up with solutions too simple for anypony else to see. It had been her idea to wear the dresses Rarity had made them for their first date, since they were already designed to accentuate each other, and both events were important firsts for them.

"Pinkie, really, I hardly think that type of game is appropriate for an event like this." Rarity said, looking disappointingly at the pink mare. She had been talking to Amber Glow about the finer points of the song Octavia Melody was playing when Pinkie called everypony over to play pin the tail on the pony.

"Aw, lighten up Rarity, it's a party!" Amber said.

"Besides, everypony likes pin the tail on the pony!" Pinkie said. "Here, you can have the purple tail."

"Fine, but only until all the guests arrive." Rarity said, accepting the tail as Pinkie blindfolded her and Amber cheered her on.

Twilight chuckled as she watched the scene unfold. After all their help she was glad to see her friends enjoying themselves. Not to mention keeping Amber preoccupied and away from Fluttershy.

"Where do ya want the cider, Twi?" Applejack asked. The Apples kept a supply of cider through the winter for special occasions, and Applejack had offered to bring some.

"Oh, just set it over there." Applejack, Big Mac, and Rainbow hauled in several casks of cider. Fluttershy had told Twilight that Rainbow and Applejack had a fight, and now they seemed intent on making it up to one another. Either that, or Rainbow was just excited about having some of the out of season cider.

Twilight did her third walk around to make sure everything was going well, then marked off the 'triple check everything' box on her checklist. She glanced over the crowd and couldn't help but notice one pony in particular stand out from all the others. "Luna? What are you doing here?"

"Greetings Twilight. Is it not obvious? I'm enjoying the festivities." Luna said. "Although I've mostly been watching you stare daggers at the mare with your friends."

"I am not!"

"Twilight, in the past half hour you've hardly let her leave your sight. And as you do not share my gift for sneaking around, if she's not already aware of you then it's really only a matter of time." Luna said nonchalantly.

Twilight shook her head. "You were watching me? Luna, this is why some ponies don't trust you. You're creepy." She turned away, irritated. "Besides, you're imagining things. I don't have a problem with Amber Glow."

Luna smiled and waved at somepony behind Twilight. "Truly? Well that is good to hear, as she's approaching."

Twilight glared at Luna, silently accusing her of drawing in the pegasus. Luna's mischievous smile confirmed it. Wheeling around Twilight smiled to greet Amber. "Hello Amber, I hope you're enjoying yourself?"

"Hi, Twilight. Yeah, I'm having a great time. You did a really good job on everything here." Amber said. She seemed a little nervous, but Twilight couldn't tell if it was because she'd noticed Twilight watching her or because the Lunar Princess was towering over them. Amber turned to her and bowed awkwardly.

"Please, rise. I am attending this event merely as Twilight and Fluttershy's friend. Until the night I am not a princess, so you need not address me as such." She gestured towards her crownless head.

"You know, taking off your crown doesn't mean you're not a princess." Twilight said as Amber stood up.

"Of course not. I also had to request time off. You had best appreciate me, Twilight, I am using my vacation time to be here."

Amber looked between Twilight and Luna. "You have to request time off? From who?"

"No." Twilight said.

"Yes." Luna countered. "From upper management, of course. You would not believe the horrendous accrual rate this job has. Twilight simply has not been a princess long enough to earn any paid time off. Cadance has a few days, I believe, but she's saving them for your wedding." She appeared to consider something. "Twilight, do you think we should form a union?"

Amber looked to Twilight for help. "Is she serious?"

Twilight smiled. "It's always safest to assume 'no' but pretend 'yes.'"

"Rude." Luna said, casting a sharp glare at Twilight. "I can assure you, I am completely serious. If I was a princess I should think I'd have a royal escort. All proper princesses do." She gave a sideways glance to Twilight, who had steadfastly refused any sort of royal guards.

"But wait, isn't that dangerous though? What if you were attacked?" Amber asked.

Luna chuckled. "I assure you I can take care of myself. Want to know a secret?" she leaned in close to Amber. "All of mine and Tia's personal guards are really veteran members of the Royal Guard proper that can't adapt to civilian life. We tell them it's a promotion and let them think they have a very important job, but really if ever we were attacked I would likely be the one saving them."

"Well, I guess that makes sense." Amber said. "What about Twilight and Princess Cadance?"

"I don't need guards. I don't rule over anything." Twilight said, slightly annoyed at Luna for diminishing the role of one of the most important jobs in Equestria. "And I happen to know that Cadance's guards are some of the best soldiers in all of Equestria."

"You mean Flash Sentry is." Luna said smiling slyly. That earned a glare from Twilight, who preferred not to talk aboout him. "But you are right, Cadance's guards are an exception. They need to be dangerous, though. I think Fluttershy could probably beat Cadance in a fight."

"That's not fair. Cadance helped stop the changeling invasion." Twilight pointed out.

"So did Fluttershy." Luna said. "I don't mean to say Cadance is not resourceful, but I doubt she did much actual fighting that day."

"At least she didn't sleep through it."

"I had a very busy night and wanted to be well rested for the wedding." Luna said testily. Twilight knew that she was sensitive about the whole situation. "I have since made adjustments to the soundproofing of my room. Had anypony thought to wake me that whole situation would have been brought to hoof much faster."

"I don't know what you would have done. Even Princess Celestia couldn't stop Chrysalis." Twilight pointed out.

Luna shrugged. "I could take Tia."

"Really?" Twilight asked with a sly smile.

Luna frowned. "Elements of Harmony notwithstanding, of course."

"So, uh, what about you Twilight?" Amber asked, possibly mistaking their banter as actual tnsion and changing the subject amiably. "Are you some kind of badass warrior princess, too?"

"I don't know about that." Twilight rubbed her neck. "Most of the time I just solve my problems with my mind, and even when I do have to fight, it's always with my friends to support me."

"You're far too modest. You are unquestioningly the third most powerful pony in Equestria, even discounting the Elements and their bearers." Luna said. She tapped on her chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps you are the second. Have you considered a friendly battle with Tia? It would be a glorious sight, to say the least."

"I'm not fighting Princess Celestia." Twilight deadpanned.

"Yeah, you probably don't want to mess with somepony who can raise the sun." Amber said.

"That has nothing to do with it! Although I'd say that answers the question. She can move the sun. End discussion." Twilight said.

"Pfft! Nonsense, it moves on it's own." Luna said. Amber went wide eyed and looked at Twilight as if wondering if everything she's ever known was a lie.

"It does not! I should know, I had to move it once." Twilight said.

"There we go, the playing field is level. I shall inform Tia and make arrangements for this dispute to be settled once and for all."

Twilight facehoofed. Amber stared at her in disbelief. "Holy crap, did you really?"

"Yes." Twilight said. "Although I was operating on borrowed magic from all three other princesses at the time, so I'd hardly say it levels the playing field."

Luna smiled. "See, the beauty of saying every ridiculous thing that comes to mind is that you can tell the truth about anything and ponies will still not know if you're joking. For example," she moved closer to Amber, "if I were to tell you that I've seen a vision of your beauty in a dream, I'd get to watch your reaction before deciding whether or not to ask you if you'd like to continue our evening together after we left here."

Amber glanced to Twilight who just shrugged. Looking back at Luna's clearly exaggerated lovestruck expression she grinned. "Well I am a sucker for dumb pick up lines."

"Glorious!" Luna said, wrapping a foreleg around Amber's shoulder. "It shall be a night to remember, I assure you."

"Trust me, I don't think I'll be forgetting this any time soon." Amber said.

Twilight wasn't sure what was going on anymore but they both seemed fine with whatever it was, so she excused herself. "I'm gonna go find Fluttershy, it's about time to make the announcement."

"She was in the kitchen last I saw her." Amber said.

"Thanks, I'll go see if she's still there. And good luck on whatever you two end up doing." Twilight smiled contently as she made her way to the kitchen. Amber had been with Fluttershy without Twilight, off in some deserted corner of the was fine. Of course it was fine. Why wouldn't it be? She was completely okay with it. Fluttershy would never do anything behind her back, so she didn't have to worry about her being alone with her friend, even if her friend wanted to be more than friends, and might be a changeling in disguise, and Fluttershy couldn't stop smiling around her. That was all fine.

"Twily, what's wrong?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Twilight said. She blinked and looked around realizing she was already in the kitchen. She took some comfort in how busy it was back here, so there wasn't much much of a chance that Amber and Fluttershy had actually been alone together.

Fluttershy smiled. "That's not your 'I'm fine' face."

"You're right." Twilight sighed. "I'm just… really nervous."

"Yeah, me too." Fluttershy said, her smile faltering for a moment before returning as she nudged her marefriend. "But everything will be alright. We'll support each other."

Looking into Fluttershy's eyes Twilight felt incredibly foalish. "Yeah, you're right." Twilight nudged her back.

"So how's everything out there?" Fluttershy asked. They had been together at the start of the party, but reporters wouldn't stop asking questions, despite Twilight's reminder that there would be a Q&A after the announcement.

"Well, Luna and Amber might be flirting. I think they have a date later."

"Really? That's great!"

"Well, I'm not actually sure. I don't think _either_ of them really knows if the other is serious."

"I hope they are." Fluttershy said. "I think they'd be happy together."

"It would be nice." Twilight said. She told herself she wanted them to hit it off because Luna deserved to be happy with somepony after all she'd been through, but it certainly didn't escape her attention that it would conveniently resolve her concerns about Amber's feelings towards Fluttershy. "If they do wind up together, hopefully they'll learn from us and not try hiding it. Speaking of which, it's time. Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Fluttershy said, but she had a distant look in her eyes.

"Relax, it'll be okay." Instinctively she started glancing around before she realized it didn't matter if anypony saw them together anymore. Aware that there were other ponies around, and positive at least some of them were listening in, she kissed Fluttershy anyway. "I love you."

"I love you too." Fluttershy blushed but smiled contently.

If any of the kitchen staff noticed they professionally ignored it. "I'll handle the talking. Unless somepony has a question for you specifically you won't have to worry about any of that." Twilight said as they walked out of the kitchen. Fluttershy simply nodded.

As soon as they were out the door lights started flashing as newsponies snapped pictures. Fluttershy stared at the ground as they walked towards the podium. Scanning the crowd Twilight noticed two ponies frantically waving for their attention. Perplexed she tapped on Fluttershy's shoulder and pointed at Pinkie and Amber, both of whom had identical mustaches. While Twilight didn't get what that was all about it seemed to cheer up Fluttershy.

Twilight cleared her throat and all talk drowned out, leaving only the continuous _click_ of camera shutters."Hello everypony, and thank you for coming out here today. We invited you out here as representatives of Equestria's most esteemed news sources. As I'm sure you are all aware, there have been some rumors concerning me and Fluttershy, which have been circling in various tabloids. I've actually been collecting some of the more interesting ones. But it's time to set the record straight. Contrary to popular belief, we did not secretly elope. Fluttershy is not my wife." She grabbed Fluttershy's hoof in hers. "But she is my marefriend."

The flashes and clicks doubled, and ponies again began talking, but this time every comment was a question directed at the two. Twilight had to knock on the podium with her hoof until they quieted down. "Please, we are happy to answer your questions, but one at a time. To get a few out of the way early; we've been dating seven months, do not currently have wedding plans, all the other princesses know and approve, and despite what one magazine claimed I have not discovered a way for two mares to conceive a child through magic." That had been one of Twilight's favorites. "Now then, let's start with you." she said, choosing a pony arbitrarily.

"Why are you just now coming out about this?"

"This was a decision we did not make lightly. It always seemed that the time wasn't right, but lately I've come to realize that it's been past time for a while."

"Does this mean there will be more support for LGBTQ causes?"

"If you mean the Equestrian government as a whole we have always tried to support all citizens, and do support several LGBTQ causes directly. Princess Celestia would be better suited to answer what plans there are for the future, and I'm sure she'll be asked within the next few days. If you're asking about me and Fluttershy personally, we would be happy to help in any way we can."

"Fluttershy, does this mean you'll take a more active role in leading Equestria?"

"Oh, uhm…" Fluttershy stared at the cameras as they _clicked_ nonstop, before hiding away in her mane. Twilight wrapped a wing around her.

"Fluttershy and the other bearers of The Elements of Harmony are my partners in spreading friendship across Equestria, as well as my most trusted advisors in political matters. Her role will remain the same."

Her questions continued in the same vane for the rest of the Q&A, with everypony finding new ways to ask how this would change Equestria, and Twilight's continuous answer being that it wouldn't. It came as a huge relief when Rarity stepped in to inform them that the time Twilight had allotted for questions was up, and the remainder of the event would be a celebration. Twilight made it clear that they would not be answering any more questions for the rest of the day.

"Hey Shy, how you feeling?" Rainbow asked, wasting no time in flying over to them.

"I'm okay. I'm just glad that part's over with." Fluttershy said, although she looked like she might faint, so Twilight and Rainbow supported her as they walked to the table their friends were at.

Before anypony could say a word to them a reporter was already at hoof. "Princess Luna, a moment of your time?"

Luna, who Twilight noticed had seated herself next to Amber, smiled politely. "As Princess Twilight has already informed you, both me and my sister were already aware of this, and could not be happier for both of them. The same can be said for everypony at this table. I believe I also speak for everypony here when I say we will be joining them in not answering further questions." Murmurs of agreement were heard all around.

"Yeah, so go on now. Git." Applejack said.

"Applejack, let's not be rude." Twilight said. "While we aren't answering any more questions, you are of course free to stay and cover the remainder of the event, if you really think Equestria needs pictures of us eating. I'm starving." Twilight had learned how to deal with the press. They wanted a story, and whether it was good or bad didn't matter, so long as it was interesting. All she had to do was not give them one. Remain polite and detached and they'd leave. Demand to be left alone and suddenly tomorrow's headline was Princess Twilight Restricts Freedom of the Press.

Within a few minutes he left, as she had predicted. "Why don't we ditch this place. We can have a real party at the castle." Rainbow suggested.

Fluttershy shook her head. "I knew this would be part of being with Twilight. Let's just make the most of the day."

"Well then I think it's time to turn this party up a notch." Pinkie said. "Hey Octavia! You ready to liven things up?"

"I thought you'd never ask." The cellist replied. "Hit it, Vinyl!"

The DJ nodded and dropped a record onto her turntable, which Pinkie must have helped smuggle in because it hadn't been part of the plan. Whatever complaint Rarity had been about to make was cut off in the classical-dubstep hybrid that began playing.

"I never did understand this modern music." Luna said, speaking up over the sound.

"Yeah, I prefer cabaret." Amber said.

"I don't know, I kind of like it." Twilight said, extending a hoof to Fluttershy. "Dance with me?"

"Er, darling, are you sure that's wise?" Rarity asked.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"It's just that, well, there are a lot of ponies here, and you of course know that this event will make the headlines, and…" she looked around for somepony to help her politely phrase her thoughts.

"You dance like you have four left hooves." Spike said. Rainbow choked on her cider.

"I do not!"

"Twilight, having witnessed your dancing I must agree." Luna said. "However, I fully support your decision to make a foal of yourself."

"Fluttershy, you don't think I'm a bad dancer, do you?"

"Oh, uhm, I love dancing with you." Fluttershy said, grinning extra wide.

"Aww, don't listen to them." Pinkie said, pulling the alicorn to her hooves. "Just get out there and shake it!" She pulled Twilight and Fluttershy part way onto the floor before dancing into the crowed.

"I, uhm, really would like to dance." Fluttershy said. As they walked onto the dancefloor Twilight saw Pinkie talking to Vinyl Scratch who nodded and turned some dials on her turntable. The hectic music slowed, with most of the electric elements fading to support the orchestral ones. Before long all the reporters and other ponies faded away, leaving nothing but Twilight, Fluttershy, and the music guiding them along.

* * *

Twilight didn't even bother opening the newspaper. She didn't have to. She just picked it up and set it on the counter.

The salespony frowned. "You know, there's much more liberal papers, princess. You could at least see what both sides are saying."

Twilight smiled. "Don't worry, Fluttershy always gets the other side. But I want to be well informed on what everypony's saying, not just the ones who approve."

"Hmph. If you say so. Just try not to take that mess there too close to heart." He took her bit then smiled. "Hey, have you seen the new Bulletin yet?"

Looking at the cover of the Semifortnightly Equestrian Bulletin she couldn't help but laugh. "That's great. I'll take this one too." The cover read Royal Grudge Match: Celestia and Twilight To Settle Long Held Dispute and featured a picture of them fighting created with image editing that was halfway decent, assuming you were in poor lighting with the eyesight of a bat.

Twilight set another bit on the counter which the salespony shook his head at. "It's on the house. Hardly anypony but you still reads that thing anyway."

"Thank you, but keep the bit. You can use it for the next pony if you want."

"Will do, princess." he said, waving her off.

Twilight began walking home, her spirits lifted by what she was becoming increasingly sure was the highest quality newspaper in Equestria. She smiled and waved at a colt as she walked past. He waved back until his mother noticed whom he was waving to and pulled him close to her before briskly walking off. Sighing Twilight walked the rest of the way with a cloud over her head.

For the past week she walked to the newsstand every morning to see what new headlines there were about her and Fluttershy. The first couple of days she had flipped through them, to see if they were still talking about it, but she'd stopped. They were always talking about her, even if it wasn't on the front page. One of the more extremist papers was even convinced she had forced Fluttershy into the relationship, citing the shy pony's reluctance to answer questions. Whenever they finally ran out of new ways to imply she was ruining Equestria would be such a welcome day she planned to frame the paper. Like the salespony had said, ponies were divided in their opinions, but Twilight didn't need two papers to tell her that. All she needed to do was look around her. For every happy face there was a scowl, or a pony avoiding her eyes, or the occasional outright jeer. She didn't need the paper to tell her how ponies felt, but she hoped it could tell her why.

As soon as Twilight reached the castle she went straight for the kitchen. Spike had fallen in sync with her new routine and was already up and about. "Morning Twilight. Just finished making tea." He poured them each a cup and turned down the stove to keep what was left in the kettle warm before sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Thanks Spike, I don't know what I'd do without you." Twilight said, taking a cautious sip of her tea, then setting it aside to cool. If Spike could even feel the heat it clearly didn't bother him, as he drank his as if it was room temperature. "Take a look at this." She slid the Bulletin across the table.

"Where do they come up with this stuff?" Spike said, eagerly flipping through to the story.

"I don't know." Twilight said. "If the Bulletin hadn't been around when I was a filly I'd swear Luna's secretly the editor in chief." She pulled out her own paper. Scanning the front page showed there was no sign of her today. Flipping through it though it didn't take her long to find a picture of her least favorite pony.

 _A week after the announcement and ponies are still abuzz about Princess Twilight Sparkle's shocking revelation. Many ponies have concerns about this turn of events, but felt there was nothing they could do. But one brave pony stepped forth to give a rallying point for everypony who still respects the wholesome values this land was founded on. We were able to sit down with Ivy Jewel, founder of The Virtuous Equestrian Society._

 _ **Thank you for joining us today, Ivy Jewel. I'd like to start by congratulating you on accomplishing so much so fast.**_

 _Oh, the pleasure's all mine. And more so than a personal achievement, I think it speaks volumes for this great land of ours that we've grown so fast._

 _ **You were neighbors with Princess Twilight. What was she like as a filly? Did you ever suspect anything like this?**_

 _Twilight was a normal foal. She used to play with Silver Spark, my son. But as she grew she became more distant. I tried to keep myself in her life. Her family never has been the best role models for traditional values, after all. But she prefered to isolate herself, and that was when I started to worry about her. I'm deeply saddened by the path she's taken._

 _ **What was it like for your son to hear about his foalhood friend?**_

 _He always remembered her fondly. While it came as a shock to him, he's thankfully a grown stallion now, fully capable of realizing what she's doing is wrong. I worry the most for all the little colts and fillies who look up to her because she's a princess._

 _ **On a less personal level, what do you think this will mean for Equestria?**_

 _I'm concerned, of course, but I'd like to believe what we're doing can make a difference. We already have two-thousand members all across Equestria, just within a week. Ponies are rejecting this._

 _ **What does The Virtuous Equestrian Society plan to do moving forward?**_

 _Currently we are spreading information and rallying members. We'll be hosting our first charity event in Canterlot, where we'll be raising money for traditional value causes._

"You know, that stuff will rot your brain." Spike said, looking up from an article about Chrysalis and Tirek being spotted playing mini golf together. Twilight pushed the paper aside.

"It's about Ivy." she said.

"Don't worry about her, Twi. She's the same as always."

"It's not her that bothers me, it's that so many ponies follow her. She scanned the rest of the article. More vague comments about 'traditional values' and 'moral decline'. Nothing substantial, no real arguments. She folded up the paper and levitated it onto a pile of others.

"Everypony will get over it soon, you'll see. Before you know it everything will be back to normal." Spike shrugged. "And anypony who still has a problem with it next time you save the world will forget all about it."

"I hope you're right, Spike." Twilight sipped her tea while Spike continued reading. It wasn't that she regretted coming out. She had hated hiding things, and really she knew it was past time. The only reason she held out as long as she did was fear, but now her worst fears had come true. There had even been a petition to remove her title. And while these were all things she'd have to inevitably face, she couldn't help but wonder if there might have been a better way.

"Good morning." Fluttershy said, walking into the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of tea before sitting down. "You keep waking up so early. You were up late again last night, you need more sleep Twi. You should take a nap."

Twilight smiled. "No way, we still have to check on the animals. Maybe after that."

"You know I could do it myself, you really don't have to worry about it." Fluttershy said.

"It's fine Shy, I want to. Who knows, maybe the babies were born."

"Oh, I don't know. I think Flower has a few more days."

"Baby skunks or not I'm more than happy to help." Twilight finished her tea and levitated the cup into the sink. Spike passed her the Bulletin and she read the front page story as Fluttershy drank her tea. Apparently her and Celestia had an escalating conflict ever since Twilight had beat her in chess once. As if Twilight would ever beat Celestia in chess.

Once she finished her tea Fluttershy stood up. "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Bye, Spike." Fluttershy said.

"See you later." He waved as the mares left.

As the couple made their way through Ponyville Twilight couldn't help but tense up. She could feel everypony's eyes on them. She kept close to Fluttershy, relying on the other mare's support. Somehow Fluttershy was able to whether whatever anypony else had to say. Twilight always tried her best to be the pillar for Fluttershy to lean on, but more often than not Fluttershy was the one comforting her these days. Still, she had to keep up appearances in town. She already had lost respect from a lot of ponies, she had to at least appear strong for those who stood by her. So she smiled and waved at anypony polite enough to do the same to her. Whenever possible she greeted ponies by name, trying to remind everypony she was still one of them.

They could not have reached Fluttershy's cottage soon enough. Twilight found herself second guessing her decision to come along, but she knew if she hadn't she'd be leaving Fluttershy to make the trip alone, and she couldn't do that. She'd already put her through too much by trying to hide her away. It was more important than ever to show her marefriend she'd stand by her.

"Do you want to take a break before we get started?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight chuckled. "I know I spend most of my time in the library, but I think I'm in good enough shape that a walk through town isn't going to wear me down. I'm fine, let's get to work."

Twilight began to walk away until she found herself weighed down by a pegasus wrapping her forelegs around her neck. "I love you, Twily." Fluttershy said, her mouth up against Twilight's ear. "Things will get better."

Twilight turned to face her as she let go. She was going to smile, remind Fluttershy that she was fine, and tell her not to worry. Instead she nuzzled against Fluttershy's neck, hiding her face in her mane.

"It's so hard." she said.

"I know." Fluttershy held her close. Neither of them said anything. Twilight closed her eyes and let the feeling of the pony she loved remind her why this was all worthwhile.

Eventually the sound of a pegasus landing in the snow caused them to pull apart. "Hi Fluttershy, Twilight." Derpy greeted them.

"Hello Derpy." Fluttershy said. "Would you like a drink to warm you up? It's an awfully cold day to fly around."

"No thanks. I'm already kinda behind." She reached into her bag and pulled out a letter for Fluttershy. "Do you want yours now too, Twilight? Or should I bring it to the castle?"

"I'll take it now if it'll save you a stop." Twilight said. "The sooner you can get out of the snow the better."

"Alright, let's see here." Derpy went rummaging through her bag, pulling out and handing Twilight letters periodically. By the time she was satisfied she'd found every letter her bag was noticeably lighter and Twilight was left with quite a sizable stack of letters and a few packages. They had come pouring in since the announcement. Twilight was ashamed to admit she hadn't actually read any of them. She was having a difficult enough time coping with what everypony said about her, she wasn't ready to see it directed _to_ her as well.

"You're sure you don't want to stay? Twilight asked. "We'll make cocoa."

Derpy was obviously tempted but shifted the still mostly full bag on her back. "Maybe next time. I'll see you later!" She waved as she flew off.

Twilight flipped through the letters, scanning for names she'd recognized. She scoffed at one sent by Silver Spark. _'Yeah right, no way I'm opening that one.'_ Finding no other letters of immediate interest she turned towards Fluttershy. "Well, nothing really pressing here. You ready to- what's wrong, Shy?"

Fluttershy was staring at her sole letter. Her eyes were narrowed and she was frowning. She didn't seem to hear Twilight's question. Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder, causing her to look up. "Sorry, what was that?" she asked.

"What's wrong?"

Fluttershy looked back to the letter. "Let's go inside. I… I'll tell you about it once we're out of the snow." Without waiting for an answer Fluttershy led the way, going inside and sitting on the couch, looking at the still unopened envelope.

Twilight sat down, pressing herself up to the distraught pegasus. She waited for Fluttershy to say something, but she just stared silently. "So… who's it from?"

Instead of answering Fluttershy just set it down next to Twilight. "Could you read it to me? I can't…"

Confused, Twilight levitated the envelope, noticing the sender as she opened it was Stormy Skies. The letter itself was short with shaky handwriting which was a little hard to read in places. She read aloud.

"Dear Fluttershy, I know it's been too long since we last spoke, and that's my fault. I'm sorry for everything that happened. Losing your mother was hard on both of us. You probably haven't forgiven me, but I'd like to start again if you'll give me the chance. I'm sure you already know, but her birthday's coming up, maybe you could come over for dinner and we can decide what to do from there. With love, dad."

At first Fluttershy didn't react. Just when Twilight was about to say something she muttered to herself "Why would I want him back in my life?" She grabbed the letter and glanced over it before tearing it in half. "Why can't he just leave me alone?"

"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked as the pegasus threw herself into Twilight's chest and began crying. Twilight held her, just letting her cry. Eventually when the sobs started to subside she asked "What happened between you two?"

Fluttershy breathed deeply for awhile before answering. "He said it was my fault mama was sick, that it was because I was born."

"That's horrible! Please tell me you don't believe that."

Fluttershy shook her head. "Not anymore, but I used to. Other ponies told me she had always been sick, even before I was born, but I still felt like it was my fault. And then when she was gone, well, he always drank a lot, but without her around he never stopped drinking."

Twilight hugged her. "Did he… hurt you?" Fluttershy nodded. Glancing at the letter Twilight asked "Has he ever tried to write to you before?"

"No. I haven't seen him since the day I got my cutie mark. That was when I ran away from home."

"You ran away from home? You never told me that!"

Twilight regretted her outburst as Fluttershy flinched. "I'm sorry. It's just… I don't like to talk about it."

"Don't be sorry, I didn't mean to sound upset. I'm just… surprised." She nuzzled Fluttershy's head. "Do you want to talk about it now?"

"Well, after I fell out of flight camp and discovered my talent with animals I just never went back. That day I just felt so happy and free. It wasn't until night came that I started wondering if it was a bad idea. I slept outside for a few days before I found this cottage. It was run down at the time, but nopony was living here. Eventually some stallions came to tear it down and found me. Once the mayor found out he had them fix it up instead and offered me a job watching over the animals. I was finally happy, but I kept thinking that Stormy Skies would come find me and take me back with him, but he never did."

"Are you still afraid of him?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy gave the tiniest of nods. She was afraid to suggest what was on her mind, but she needed to say it. "Uhm, I think maybe we should go."

"Right, sorry, I got caught up in all that. The poor animals are waiting." Fluttershy wiped her eyes and smiled. Twilight found it unsettling how natural her smile was, and wondered how many times these thoughts had hidden behind that smile without anypony knowing.

"The animals are fine, Shy. I meant maybe we should see him."

"Oh." Fluttershy stopped smiling. "No."

"It's your decision, Shy. But you've been letting him loom over you for all these years. No matter how horrible he was he can't hurt you anymore." Twilight brushed Fluttershy's mane out of her face. "If you don't want to forgive him then you don't have to. But I think if we went you'd see he's nothing to be afraid of."

"I… I don't know Twily. I don't think I can face him again."

"You won't be alone this time. I'll go with you." Twilight smiled. "We're kind of a package deal these days."

Fluttershy smiled a little. "Thanks Twily. I'll think about it. But right now I'd really like to check on the animals together."

Twilight nodded. "Of course." She held open the door and the two mares walked into the snow.

* * *

Fluttershy couldn't sleep. Normally being next to Twilight put her mind at ease but tonight it wasn't enough. She'd been lying awake for hours watching the alicorn role around restlessly. She clearly wasn't sleeping well herself, but at least she was asleep.

Normally it was nightmares or insecurities that kept Fluttershy awake. Tonight it was the idea that there was something she needed to do. She had been wondering something for weeks now, since she first started writing to Sunset Shimmer. She knew she should have said something already, but she had let her fears get the best of her. Slowly she got out of bed. It was one thing to let her worries keep her from doing things she knew would help herself, but she couldn't keep letting somepony else suffer because she was too afraid to say something.

She grabbed the journal and carried it into the study, careful as she went to not wake Twilight. Flipping it open to the first blank page she ignored her racing heart to write 'Sunset, it's Fluttershy. I know it's really late and you have work tomorrow, but if you can please write me back. It's important.'

She set down the quill and waited. If Sunset didn't write back what would she do? Should she say what was on her mind anyway? She didn't have to worry long however, as Sunset wrote back within a few minutes.

'What's up?'

Fluttershy felt a pang of guilt. A message that short meant Sunset was asleep and had been woken up by the book's vibrations. 'Sorry to wake you but does the Fluttershy in your world live with somepony named Stormy Skies?'

'No, she lives with her dad. Or is that his name?'

Fluttershy felt her knees go weak at the thought of somepony living with him. She knew the other Fluttershy wouldn't want her to tell Sunset about this, but she also knew she needed help. 'Please, do whatever you can to get her away from him. Maybe she could move in with Rainbow or something, anything, just not him.'

'Okay, I'm officially awake now. I'll do what I can, but what's going on? What's so bad about him?'

Fluttershy glanced towards the other room where Twilight was sleeping. She needed Sunset to understand why this was so important. She was terrified of Twilight seeing this, but she needed to write it anyway. 'I'll explain everything. But is there some way to make sure Twilight doesn't see? I know I need to tell her too, and I will, but I don't want her to find out like this.'

'I don't think Twilight would read it if you just asked her not to, but if you really want to be sure you can tear out the page. And I promise I won't say anything to her about it.'

Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly for a moment. With a deep breath she opened them and began writing. 'Well, when I was a teenager my mom died…'


	16. Storm Front

Twilight tried striking a pleasant conversation through Cloudsdale. Fluttershy, however, was more quiet than usual. It also didn't help that they were drawing more than enough attention to distract both of them from talking. Twilight couldn't blame Fluttershy for being so reserved, but she found some of her marefriend's behavior baffling. She made it clear she hated her father, or Stormy Skies as she insisted he be called, but despite her reluctance to go she seemed at least somewhat interested in making a good impression. She had dressed for the occasion, after all, and asked Twilight to do the same.

The crowd of onlookers faded away as they went further into the suburbs. The houses around them were all well kept, even if they did look almost identical. Twilight could see why Fluttershy had been intimidated by the size of her parents house. Even with the impressive architecture of Cloudsdale nothing around them was nearly as grand, with very few houses reaching two stories. While most of the houses faded into one another they eventually came to one that stood out, with cracked pillars and a layer of grunge Twilight wouldn't have thought possible in a city where everything was built on clouds. Fluttershy stopped and stared from the street.

"Is this it?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy nodded. Twilight wanted to compliment Fluttershy on her childhood home, but when she looked for something nice to say about the greying building she noticed clouds cluttering the yard and some mold that didn't look entirely healthy. Instead she walked up to Fluttershy and pressed up against her, noticing how much she was shaking. "You know it's not too late. We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"No, I do have to." Fluttershy said. "You're right. I'll never stop being afraid if I don't face him."

"Just remember, I'm right beside you. And all you have to do is say the word and we're out of there." Twilight kissed Fluttershy's cheek, causing the trace of a smile to flash across her lips.

Taking one last deep breath Fluttershy walked up to the door. She hesitated for a moment as she took one more look at the state of the house, but knocked all the same. "Just a moment." a gruff voice called. Twilight saw Fluttershy go rigid at the sound and stood close to her in case she felt faint and needed support, but the yellow pegasus just stared at the door resolutely.

The door opened to a grinning light blue pegasus with a grey mane. "Fluttershy! Dear Celestia, you've grown." He held out a foreleg which Fluttershy ignored.

"Twilight, this is Stormy Skies, Stormy Skies, my marefriend Twilight Sparkle." Fluttershy said. Twilight had to stop her jaw from dropping, not just at Fluttershy's words but her tone. She had expected Fluttershy to revert to her usual timid self, possibly even that she'd hide behind Twilight and let her handle introductions. Instead she addressed the stallion as if she dared him to say anything against her.

Stormy Skies pulled back his hoof and used it to awkwardly scratch at his neck. Once he remembered himself he bowed to Twilight. "Princess Twilight, it's an honor to meet you."

"Please, that's not necessary." Twilight said. "And you can just call me Twilight."

He stood up and held the door open. "Please, come in. I, uh, hope you'll excuse the mess. I was going to clean but I ended up getting called in to work."

Stepping inside it was clear he didn't usually clean much, if at all. While the few possessions were more or less organized there was a layer of dust on everything that proved it was because he never used any of it. "I'll go get dinner ready. Please, make yourselves at home."

Twilight took a look around the room. Amongst the dusty possessions was a table that stood out for being clean, which Fluttershy was drawn to. There were a few things on it. A necklace, a detailed embroidery of two birds, a crocheted cloud candy figure, and in the center a picture. At first glance Twilight thought it was Fluttershy, until she realized Fluttershy left home as a teenager. Upon closer inspection the mare in the picture was a lighter shade of yellow, and had a blue pin cushion cutie mark.

"Is that your mom?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy nodded as tears began welling up in her eyes. Twilight moved closer to her and she leaned her head against Twilight's. "She's really pretty."

"Her name was Breezy Day. I always thought she was the prettiest mare in the world." Fluttershy said. Unlike with Stormy Skies there was nothing but love and admiration in the way Fluttershy looked at her mom.

"You know, you look a lot like her, Shy." Twilight said. Fluttershy pulled away and turned to Twilight, her eyes widened but distant, darting around without really seeing anything. "Fluttershy?" Twilight reached reached a hoof out which Fluttershy flinched away from. She took one last look at her mom and walked away, leaving a perplexed Twilight.

Following her around a corner Twilight found herself in the dining room. "Fluttershy, what's going on? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Fluttershy said. She sounded uncomfortable, like she didn't want to be in that house, but otherwise she seemed okay. Twilight had decided before they left that she wouldn't press Fluttershy to talk about anything until they were back in Ponyville, so she let it go. Twilight moved to stand next to her again and found her examining the dust covering a cabinet filled with nice dinnerware. "It's not like he didn't know we were coming for weeks now."

"True, but It wouldn't hurt to give him the benefit of the doubt." Twilight said. Fluttershy eyed her skeptically. "I'm definitely _not_ justifying what he did in the past, but that doesn't mean he isn't making a real attempt now."

Fluttershy looked doubtful. "I'm not surprised you think so. He's a good liar."

As much as Twilight wanted things to go smoothly, she was also hesitant to actually stand up for Stormy Skies, so she instead put a foreleg around Fluttershy in a half hug. "It'll be okay, Shy. It's just one dinner."

Fluttershy leaned into Twilight's hug. "You're right. Thanks for coming with me Twily."

"You don't have to thank me, we're a team." Fluttershy just nodded. "So, do you want to take a look around? It's been a long time since you've been here."

"Oh, uhm, not really." Fluttershy said looking off to the side. "I don't really have many good memories of this place."

"Okay." Twilight pulled out a chair for her. "Let's just wait here then."

They sat at the dining room table, Fluttershy continuing to look distant. As Twilight considered what she could say to cheer her up Stormy Skies came in. "Dinner's ready. I'm, uh, not really the best cook, so I hope spaghetti's okay."

"Nothing wrong with that." Twilight said as she stood up. They followed him into the kitchen and Twilight served herself and Fluttershy. It was a simple meal, pasta and store bought sauce, but Twilight was glad he had chosen to go simple. Being a poor cook herself she knew all too well what dinner would have been like if he had decided to try and impress them with a home cooked meal.

"What can I get you to drink? I have wine, beer, and…" he paused, sniffing a carton of milk before putting it back in the fridge. "Water."

Twilight was going to ask for wine when Fluttershy answered for them. "We'll have water."

"Probably for the best. This stuff's pretty cheap." He said, eyeing the wine dubiously before pouring himself a glass.

Once everypony had their food and was seated back in the dining they began looking around, waiting for somepony to say something. Fluttershy avoided looking at Stormy Skies, who smiled nervously, looking between her and Twilight. Twilight wasn't sure if she should start talking or eating. The awkward mood persisted until everypony eventually turned their attention to their food.

After an uncomfortable few minutes it was Stormy Skies who broke the silence. "You know, I just can't get over how big you've grown. You're almost as big as me now!"

"That happens after ten years." Fluttershy said. Her voice sounded detached.

Stormy Skies' smile faded. "Look, Fluttershy, I know I wasn't the best dad in the world." He took a sip of his wine. "I was actually pretty bad at it. But I'm glad we have this chance to wipe the slate clean."

Fluttershy didn't acknowledge what he said at first. Eventually she said "I just… had to see this place one more time."

"Well you know, it doesn't have to be just one more time. You're always welcome back here."

"I'll keep that in mind." Fluttershy said. Even after what Fluttershy had told her Twilight couldn't believe how cold she was being. She'd never known Fluttershy to be resentful.

Stormy Skies idly twirled his pasta as silence hung over them. Eventually Twilight cut through it. "So where do you work?" she asked, hoping if she could get both ponies in a neutral conversation it would help dispel some of the ill will.

"Down at the weather factory." he said, smile returning. "Nothing as glamorous as helping rule Equestria, but I do alright."

"Well, I don't really do much ruling." Twilight said sheepishly. "I'm more like an ambassador, spreading friendship when I can."

"That's not the way the news has it. There's a lot of talk about how you're helping lead Equestria into something better."

Twilight didn't quite remember those news stories. Everypony still seemed determined to blame them for all of Equestria's problems, many of which didn't actually exist. Recently the idea that it was actually Fluttershy who had corrupted Twilight was taking hold, thanks to The Virtuous Equestrian Society. "Well, there's certainly been a lot of talk in the news these day, that's for sure."

"Ponies just love to gossip, nothing to worry about there." Stormy Skies shrugged, taking a sip of his wine. "I for one am just glad to see Fluttershy found somepony to make her happy."

Fluttershy actually smiled at that. Twilight grinned, happy to see her returning to the warm pony she loved so much, until she spoke. "So your daughter turned out to be a faggot after all."

"Fluttershy!" Twilight was shocked. Fluttershy just stared dispassionately across the table.

"I, uh, I guess I might have said some things, huh?" He looked down as he spoke. "Things you weren't really supposed to hear. Although I suppose I wouldn't really be surprised if you told me I'd said some of it to you after I'd been drinking. And I'm sorry for that."

"Hmph." Fluttershy resumed eating her pasta. Twilight looked down at her own plate unsure of what to do. She knew one dinner wasn't going to make amends for years of abuse, but she was beginning to think nothing short of professional counseling could dent Fluttershy's animosity towards Stormy Skies, who seemed to be legitimately trying to make amends.

After several minutes of awkward dining in which nopony seemed to eat very much, Stormy Skies stood up. "I have a gift for you. It's nothing really big, but I thought you should have it." He walked out of the dining room and down the hall.

"So, uh, how you doing Shy?" Twilight asked once he was out of earshot. She was being very careful with her words. If she made it sound like she was accusing Fluttershy of not trying hard enough she'd mess everything up.

"He's so unbelievable." Fluttershy said.

"Maybe he really just wants to start over." Twilight said. She knew she was treading a thin line but it didn't seem like she crossed it yet.

"You just don't know him like I do. He's good at putting on a mask to make himself look good." Fluttershy began devouring her food, either out of anger or because she wanted an excuse to be done with this dinner.

It was only a minute or so before Stormy Skies returned. He brought a picture in a frame, which he set down in front of Fluttershy. Twilight had never seen Fluttershy as a filly, but there was no mistaking it. She was on a bed with her mother and they were each holding up embroideries like the one on the table in the living room. Fluttershy's was a heart, simple but perfect, very impressive for a filly as young as she looked in the picture. Breezy Day's was a trio of sunflowers.

"I… I remember this." Fluttershy said. "Mama was just teaching me how to sew. She was sure I'd get my cutie mark as a seamstress. Then we showed you what we made and you left without saying anything. I thought you hated it, but then you came back with a camera you'd borrowed and said 'a family should have a photo album, and this looks like the perfect time to start one.'" She's kept her voice steady, but tears were rolling down her cheek.

"Yeah, well…" Stormy Skies sat back down and moved his food around, but something told Twilight they were done eating. "That picture reminds me I didn't always screw everything up, even if I never did start that photo album. I don't have many pictures of her, but I know you don't have any, so I think she'd want you to have it."

"Thank you." Fluttershy said. She was smiling and this time Twilight was sure it was genuine.

"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." Stormy Skies said. He clearly wasn't comfortable with emotional displays, but Twilight was pretty sure she'd seen him blink back a tear himself. He took another sip of his wine.

Fluttershy frowned at the mostly empty wine glass. "Why do you drink so much?"

He glanced at his glass. "I wouldn't say one glass of wine is too much."

"And you didn't have anything to drink before we got here?" Fluttershy asked doubtfully.

Stormy Skies looked off to the side. "Well, maybe just a bit. I was actually pretty nervous, believe it or not."

"You always drank too much." Fluttershy said. She looked at the picture and the excited filly in it. She held up the little embroidery like it was a trophy, smiling not for the camera, Twilight was sure, but the stallion holding it. "I used to love you, you know. Before mama died, nights when you weren't drunk. When you'd sing, or talk to us without yelling, or even just read your paper while I colored. You weren't always the best dad, but sometimes you were good enough."

Stormy Skies pushed his remaining wine to the side. "You're right. I had a problem for a long time, and I know what it put you and your mom through. I know I can't change any of that. But I'm doing better and I'm tired of screwing up everything I touch. I know it's probably too late for me to ever be your dad again, but you'll never stop being my daughter, and I just want you back in my life."

Fluttershy shook her head. Her tears were all dried up now and nothing but the cold anger from before remained on her face. "After all these years I still almost believed you. But you're not doing any better. You don't have anything but alcohol in your fridge, and I bet there's more under the counter." Stormy Skies frowned but didn't deny it. "You couldn't even be bothered to clean this place up."

"Well, I meant to, but I-"

"But you were working?" Fluttershy cut him off. "Another lie. Rainbow told me you got fired. She has a friends in the weather factory, and some of them even covered for you when you were too drunk to show up." Stormy Skies hung his head and didn't say anything. Eventually Fluttershy continued her accusations. "Years passed, and you never even looked for me."

"Well, when you left I did try to find you. I looked all over Cloudsdale for you. After that I didn't know where to look, and I just hoped you were alright, and that you didn't want to be found." Apparently forgetting his decision to not drink anymore he finished his wine. "And I think it's safe to say I was right. Then I started seeing you in the news and I realized I missed out on watching you grow up. I finally knew where to find you, so I reached out to you."

Twilight had planned to let them air out their problems, hoping if they stopped bottling things up they'd both see it was time to move on, but as he sat fidgeting in his chair she could see more and more that Fluttershy was right about him. "After we defeated Night Mare Moon any paper could have pointed you to Ponyville. Why didn't you write to her then?"

He looked between them, unable to answer. Twilight saw his eyes dart back to his empty wine glass before returning to Fluttershy. She was going to suggest they leave but Fluttershy wasn't finished yet.

"Why now?"

"Well, of course I was proud of you after Night Mare Moon, and everything else, but I was worried I'd just buck up your life more. Then I saw you'd finally found a, uhm, companion and I-"

"Marefriend." Fluttershy said. "I'm gay and I have a marefriend. It's really not that hard."

Stormy Skies stared silently for a moment, jaw clenched. Fluttershy held her ground and glared back. "Right, sorry, marefriend." he said eventually, trying to smile and not pulling it off as well as he had earlier. "I guess I just got tired of reading about your life instead of getting to be part of it."

Fluttershy slammed her hoof on the table and Stormy Skies jumped to his feet. "Don't you dare lie to me, don't you dare…" her voice caught in her throat.

Stormy Skies looked like he might charge them. Twilight stood as well, but Fluttershy remained seated, not moving an inch and holding his glare. Eventually he broke eye contact. "I need your help. The bank is threatening to repossess the house and my unemployment check can't cover what I owe."

"But it's still enough for your alcohol." Fluttershy spat. "After everything that happened, everything you said, what you did, what you put me through. Those nights after mama died. After all of that and you think I'll help you? What, you think because Twilight's a princess that gives you access to some kind of royal treasury? If I was with a different mare you'd never invite me here." When he didn't answer Fluttershy stood up as well. She reached into her coin purse and pulled out five bits, which she tossed on the table, letting them roll away. Two fell on the floor, clinking loudly in the otherwise silent room. "That should more than cover what you paid for dinner. Let's go Twilight."

Fluttershy grabbed the picture and tucked it under her wing. They walked past him and he didn't say anything or move to stop them. It was only when Fluttershy pulled open the front door that he called after them. "You hate me. Fine, I'm a bastard and I'd hate me too. But this was your home too, your mother's home. Please, don't let them take it away."

Fluttershy turned to face him. "This was the house I spent the worst years of my life in. This was where I was beaten, where I was treated worse than dirt, where I cried myself to sleep and spent every night hoping I'd die instead of spending another day with you. This house can burn down for all I care." She turned back around and walked out the door, leaving him alone.

Twilight followed after her, jogging to keep up. "Fluttershy, where are you going? We can just fly home." Fluttershy wheeled around and looked so furious Twilight thought she was going to start yelling at her, but after a moment her face fell and she let herself deflate into Twilight.

"I just… hate him so much."

Twilight hugged her tightly. "I know, but it's over now. You never have to see him again. Do you want to do anything else while we're in Cloudsdale?" Twilight smiled as she pulled out her secret weapon. "Maybe go out for ice cream, or something?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "Please, let's just go home." she said, clearly fighting back tears.

"Alright." Twilight nodded. She had been sure ice cream would work, it always cheered Fluttershy up. They took to the air, Twilight carrying the picture with her magic. They flew in silence until the landed in Ponyville. "So, your place or mine?" Twilight asked.

"Mine. I just… I don't want to walk through town." Fluttershy said. She began walking with her head hung down. "Telling everypony was a mistake."

"Don't say that."

"If we never came out we wouldn't have ponies harassing us and _he_ never would have written to me."

"I'm sorry, it was my idea to go. I knew you didn't want to, I should have just left it alone."

Fluttershy shook her head. "No, you were right. He was just a pony after all."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached Fluttershy's house she lead the way to the bedroom, not even stopping for any of the animals along the way. She collapsed on the bed and Twilight curled around her. They laid still for so long that Twilight thought she might have fallen asleep, until she sat up suddenly and turned to Twilight.

"I'm sorry, I… I'm not good enough for you."

Taken off guard by the sudden outburst Twilight sat up and tilted her head to the side. "Are you worried about what the news said? Come on, Shy, you know better than to take them seriously." Twilight tried to kiss her, but she moved away.

"No. I mean, yes, that bothered me too, but I was talking about Stormy Skies."

Twilight took Fluttershy's trembling hooves into hers. "Why would I hold him against you?"

Fluttershy turned to her with tears in her eyes. "Please, Twily, I need to tell you something. Something important. But it's really really hard to talk about, so please, just let me talk."

Twilight couldn't imagine anything that would be worth getting so worked up about. She nodded. "Okay."

Fluttershy took a deep breath which didn't help her shaking. "After my mom died and he started drinking more, things got… really bad." As Fluttershy paused Twilight had to fight back the urge to tell her that everything was okay now. "One night when I was asleep h-he came into my room. He woke me up when he threw the door open." She paused to take a few deep breaths, which led to more sobbing before she could continue. "He reeked of alcohol… I'd n-never seen him so… so drunk before. He… he told me it wasn't fair that she… that she died. She died and left him with me." She trailed off again and began crying. Twilight held her, stroking her mane. Her heart started racing, but she didn't know why. She wouldn't let herself imagine why.

After a few minutes passed and Fluttershy didn't say anything Twilight pulled her closer. "It's okay Shy. You don't have to talk about it."

"I do." Fluttershy choked out through her sobs. "I… I…H-he…"

"Shh…" Twilight kissed her head. "Just take a minute to calm down, then tell me." Twilight was finding it harder and harder to resist the thought. _He didn't. He wouldn't._

After a few more minutes of crying and deep breathing, Fluttershy continued, holding on tightly to Twilight. "He told me that I looked just like her." Twilight's heart lurched, remembering the way Fluttershy had looked at her when she made the same offhoof comment. She'd been afraid. "He told me since it was my fault I owed him. He… he held me against the bed and… and he raped me."

"He what!?" Twilight forgot her promise to just let Fluttershy talk. She jumped to her hooves, forgetting they were on the bed. She forgot everything as the room around her faded out, and the only thing she was aware of was that she was going to kill him. She was going to fly straight back to Cloudsdale and drag him out of his house, and he'd answer for what he did. He'd be lucky if she let him die quickly. Slowly she became aware of a sound, which she realized was Fluttershy crying. As the room around her faded back into her perception she saw the pegasus had curled into a ball at her hooves. She was covering her face with her wing as she cried.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. I'm so so sorry, just please don't leave me, please. I'm sorry, I love you, I'll do anything you want, just please stay with me."

Twilight couldn't believe herself. Supporting Fluttershy was the most important thing she could do, and instead she'd terrified her. "Why are you sorry?" She laid back down and reached a hoof out to Fluttershy, who flinched, causing her to quickly pull it back.

"You… you deserve better. You deserve s-somepony who isn't… used." Fluttershy managed to say through her sobs. "But I'm… I'm so selfish… I just can't let you go."

"Fluttershy, please, don't say things like that. You should never be sorry for what happened to you. It wasn't your fault, and it doesn't change who you are. Or how much I love you, nothing could ever change that." Fluttershy lowered her wing to look at Twilight. "I can't believe I convinced you to go back there. I never would have suggested that if I had known."

"It's… it's okay. You didn't know. I never told you. I… I wanted you to keep loving me." She moved a little closer to Twilight.

"I'll always love you, no matter what." Twilight was going to try to hold her again when something horrible occurred to her. "Oh. Oh no. All those time when I wanted to… do stuff. And you… I'm so, so sorry, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy shook her head. "You always stopped it."

"I never should have started anything to begin with. I only stopped after I already knew it was upsetting you." Twilight couldn't believe what she must have put Fluttershy through. She had always tried to be patient, and never said anything hurtful, but she knew there had been at least a few times that her mounting frustration must have been pretty obvious.

Fluttershy rested her hoof on Twilight's foreleg. "I was just happy you stopped it before… before I ever let you do… _that_ kind of stuff with me. You're so perfect, and I'm… ruined."

Twilight reached out a hoof and when Fluttershy didn't pull away she pulled them closer to one another. "Fluttershy, listen to me. This doesn't change anything between us. _Anything._ You're not used, or ruined, or anything else, okay?"

Fluttershy snuggled in closer. "Why are you so perfect?"

Twilight held her tight. "I don't know about perfect. But I'll always try to be the best I can be for you, because that's what you deserve."

Fluttershy shook her head."I… I don't deserve you. I'm just… I'm…"

Twilight cut her off with a kiss. "Fluttershy, you are the most wonderful pony I've ever met. I know you would never hold anything this against anypony else. If I told you something like that happened to me, you wouldn't think any less of me. Why do you think less of yourself?"

"You… you won't leave me, will you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Of course not. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Fluttershy cried as Twilight held her. Twilight whispered that everything would be okay, that she loved her, that she was beautiful, anything Twilight could think of to remind her that nothing had changed. Eventually Fluttershy fell asleep, but Twilight stayed awake holding her. She continued to whisper into the sleeping mare's ear every positive thing she could think of, hoping to guide her to happier dreams. Eventually Twilight fell asleep with her head resting against Fluttershy's.


	17. Only as Blind as We Choose to Be

The sky glowed orange despite no trace of the sun being visible. The flowers along the river grew taller than any pony, with light shining through their translucent petals, creating patches of green and yellow in the water. Usually no matter how bizarre it may be a dream will still feel real to the dreamer. Twilight knew she was dreaming but unless somepony had drugged her she wasn't sure where this dream was coming from.

Twilight was being pulled along in a simple wooden boat, being pulled by the current towards a hill. Among the immense flowers it was the only thing that actually stood out. She hoped from a higher vantage point she'd be able to figure out where to go. _'Although, if this is just a dream I suppose it doesn't matter.'_ she rationalized, Still, she was curious to see more, dream or not. As she drew closer to it the stems of the flowers became thicker and darker, while the petals became smaller and lost their prismatic nature, becoming consistently green. Eventually they started bearing fruit and Twilight realized they had changed seamlessly into trees, which continued to grow up the hill. As Twilight reached the shore and made her way up the hill the trees grew sparser until there was only one left at the top. Underneath it laid a pony.

"Tangerine?" Luna offered casually, as if their meeting here wasn't strange in the slightest.

"Luna? What's going on?" Twilight asked.

"I've been waiting for you. You could have just flown you know." Luna picked a tangerine and levitated it to Twilight. She didn't see the point in eating in a dream but accepted it nonetheless.

"But why are you here? I'm happy to see you, but this isn't really a nightmare, even if it is a little weird." Twilight peeled the fruit and took a bite. "Sweet Celestia that's good!"

"Naturally. I made it." Twilight looked at her, about to ask what she meant, then took another bite of the tangerine instead. Luna's explanation could wait, this fruit would be gone when she woke up. Luna chuckled. "You are not dreaming Twilight, I am. I brought you from a dreamless slumber into my dream."

"You can do that?" Twilight asked, juice leaking out of her mouth.

"I can, but usually do not. Until recently my dreams were unsafe for other ponies. Now that they're not it may occasionally be a convenient means of communication, but is not without its downsides. For example, despite it being night at current, I am asleep."

"But don't you have important things to do at night?" Twilight asked.

"Many, every night." Luna said, shaking her head. "Which is why we shall not mention this particular meeting with Tia." She gave Twilight a sideways glance and the younger alicorn nodded. "Good. And whether Tia agrees or not I do consider this meeting important. I understand you met Stormy Skies a few weeks ago?"

"Yes." Twilight said. She set aside the tangerine, having lost all taste for the fruit. "Why didn't you tell me about him?" Fluttershy had told her that Luna saw what happened in a nightmare, making her one of the only ponies to know about it

"As I said before I do not disclose the contents of what one dreams about. I did encourage Fluttershy to tell you herself, however. Now that she has what do you intend to do?"

Twilight had been asking herself the same question. "I don't know. I know taking care of Fluttershy has to come first, but everytime I think about him I just…"

Luna put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "You're right. Your focus should be on Fluttershy. Part of why I summoned you here was to make sure you don't do anything drastic, although I believe if you were going to do something foalish it would have been done by now."

"Fluttershy said you took care of it." Twilight shook her head. "How exactly is it taken care of? He's still out there!"

"I did what I could. Despite never being convicted his crime is on record, and I have him under constant surveillance. In the months since I've known about this he has done nothing without my knowledge. Strictly speaking, neither of these things were actually within my authority as dictated by Equestrian law. And for whatever it's worth he no longer sleeps peacefully. It is not the punishment he deserves, but it is what I can offer."

Twilight knew that was the best she could hope for. There was no evidence to back Fluttershy's claim, even if she did have several excellent character witnesses. Factoring the time since the assault it was guaranteed to return no verdict, which would accomplish nothing and place unnecessary hardship on Fluttershy. "I just… I want to do more."

Luna stared at the field of impossible flowers. "I know. It's always hard to be powerless. Especially when you have the power to do something, but not the ability to use it."

Twilight stared at the horizon wondering how many times Luna had felt the same way in her thousands of years.

"There was another reason I wanted to speak with you. This one is about something you _can_ do." Luna said.

"What is it?" Twilight answered quickly, eager to do something, anything, to feel less useless.

"Fluttershy is concerned. She believes you are disgusted with her."

"That's not true!" Twilight said, rising at the accusation.

Luna held a hoof up. "I did not say it was. But she thinks it is."

Twilight sat back down and sighed. "I know. I keep telling her I'm not, but she doesn't believe me. I don't know what to do."

"They say actions speak louder than words." Luna said.

"But I haven't done anything to make her feel like that! I don't understand."

Luna shook her head. "Sometimes inaction is it's own form of action. It is precisely something you haven't done that is the problem."

Twilight had an idea of what she meant. "Are you talking about…" She blushed as she trailed off.

"Sex. Twilight, please, we're both adults." Luna said.

"Yes, well, some of us haven't spent thousands of years getting comfortable with talking about that!" Twilight said. She expected a tongue in cheek retort but the Lunar Princess barely reacted, leaving Twilight feeling a little guilty for her tone. She really was a different pony in dreams.

"Use whichever words you like, but the point still stands. I'm sure you realize that Fluttershy has been making attempts to progress your relationship?"

"I know." Twilight cast her eyes down. "And I really don't think any less of her, I'm just scared."

"Of what? I hardly think you can fear rejection at this point, her intent is rather obvious."

"What if she's just doing this because she feels guilty? Or because she thinks I'll leave if she doesn't?"

"I think she is more in control of her impulses than you give her credit for. It was fine and admirable the first few nights, when her emotions were getting the better of her, but it's been weeks now." Luna looked at her with a gaze that pierced through Twilight. "Or is there something else?"

Twilight breathed deeply. Luna was probably the best pony to talk to about this. "When we were in Cloudsdale I told her she looked like her mom. I didn't know about what happened and it turned out that was something he said to her." Twilight's eye winced as she spoke. She shook her head to try and wipe thoughts of Stormy Skies out of her mind. "When Fluttershy looked at me she was afraid. I knew she wasn't actually afraid of me, but that's what it felt like. It… really hurt, seeing her look at me like that. What if we start doing things and I trigger something?"

"Yes, that is a possibility." Luna said. Twilight looked looked at the ground, feeling her fears were justified. "I won't offer a comforting lie, your concern is valid. But never making the attempt is not the solution. Rather than worry about a possibility you can't control think instead about what you can actually do to lower the risk and what can be done if there is a problem."

When Luna didn't continue Twilight cocked her head to the side. "Is, uh, this a test? Because I've been wracking my brain over this for days and I could really just use some answers."

Luna smiled. "Forgive me. I am too used to guiding ponies through dreams. The most important thing you can do is make sure she realizes you can stop at any time. One thing that might help is if she takes the lead, although I can't say I see her being a very dominant lover. And in the event you do trigger something remember it's not you she's afraid of, and with your support and understanding she will be alright. If nothing else making the attempt should ease her fears."

"I guess that could work." Twilight said, although she couldn't help but be terrified with how badly things could go.

"Twilight, I have had many lovers. Many stood the test of time, many did not. Among my successful relationships the one consistent thing was that all ponies were willing to communicate their concerns so that an agreement could be reached." Luna smirked. "Although this may require using our adult words."

"You're right." Twilight said.

"Of course I am. I'm me."

Twilight rolled her eyes. It was nice to see some of the playful Luna show through the serene dream walker Luna. As they stared into the flowers together something occurred to Twilight. "Okay, I know it's a dream and it doesn't have to make sense, but the sun's been rising a really long time now."

"It's setting, actually."

"How can you even tell?"

"We always know what's happening in our dreams, we just don't always listen to ourselves." Luna said. Twilight often wondered if she tried to sound all mysterious on purpose or if being vague just came naturally to her.

"Anyway, it just seems like it should have set by now." Twilight said.

"I doubt it ever will, and more to the point I know it never should." Luna said. Twilight decided she had to be doing it on purpose.

"You know exactly what it means, but you aren't going to say." Twilight said. Luna remained silent. Twilight threw her hooves into the air in frustration. "Well, why not? Why say anything at all if you aren't going to tell me?"

Luna just smiled at Twilight's over reaction. "Several reasons."

"Fine." Twilight levitated another tangerine off the tree and decided to change the subject. "So, what ever happened between you and Amber?"

Luna closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them she smiled contently. "She is here with me now."

Twilight took a moment to properly swallow her food. "Okay, that's a little weird to think about."

Luna smirked. "And you and Fluttershy are not in the same bed?"

"You know, that actually just made the whole thing weirder." Twilight said. She knew it was silly but she suddenly felt exposed, as if Luna was in Fluttershy's bedroom watching them sleep. "So you two are actually dating then?"

"Not exactly, and certainly not in the way you mean. She is a charming mare, but we are not seeking a committed relationship with each other. We are merely friends, even if that friendship comes with certain benefits."

Twilight shrugged. "As long as you're both happy, I guess."

"We are." Luna said. "I think it would be best for me to rise. The night is young enough I may fulfil some of my royal duties, at least."

"Wait!" Twilight levitated another tangerine and dug in. Her impulse told her to eat as much as possible even though she knew it was pointless, that the only reason to keep eating was to savor the taste.

Luna laughed. "While I am happy to cast aside work to help you with your love life, even I find it negligent to ignore my responsibilities so you may eat."

"Can't you just leave me here?"

"This is a dream, Twilight. It will go away when I wake."

"Oh yeah. Well, can you make _me_ dream about them?"

"Good night, Twilight."

"Luna!"

* * *

Twilight woke up hungry. She hadn't dreamt any more about food, and she knew no waking food would be the same. Still, she descended the stairs to the kitchen and found Fluttershy already up.

"Morning Twily."

"Morning Shy." Twilight kissed her. "Hey, do we have any tangerines?"

"No, but we do have apples." Fluttershy said.

"We always have apples." It was one of the perks of being friends with Applejack. Some days it didn't feel like a perk.

"Well, we can pick some up at the market later, if you like." Fluttershy poured her a cup of tea.

"Sounds good." Twilight said, sipping on her tea. They had stayed at Fluttershy's house this time. Twilight wondered how long they were going to keep doing this. It had been over two month since they had last stayed in separate houses. She was happy wherever they were, but 'not living together' was becoming more and more a formality.

"Well, ready to get to work?" Twilight asked once she finished her tea. Taking care of the animals together had become part of their morning routine.

"Oh, I already took care of it." Fluttershy said.

"Really? What time is it?"

"Eleven."

Twilight sighed. She could never seem to sync up with Fluttershy's sleeping habits. She always either barely slept due to excitement or anxiety, or she slept too much. "I'm sorry Shy, I can't believe I slept in so late." Even though she hated waking up so early Twilight was disappointed. She had grown to love seeing the animals everyday, not to mention watching Fluttershy light up as she was around them.

"Twily, it's fine. I did it for years by myself you know." Fluttershy rested her head against Twilight's shoulders. "Besides, I couldn't sleep."

"Bad dreams?" Twilight asked. She wondered if it had anything to do with what she and Luna had talked about.

"No. Somepony kept stealing the blanket."

Twilight smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Maybe we should stay at the castle tonight. It's always warmer there."

"Yeah. You know, I think we should have somepony look at the insulation here. Although it's not that old so it should be fine. Maybe they cheaped out on it."

Fluttershy giggled. "Twilight Sparkle wants to let somepony else take care of something? Oh, what's this world coming to?"

"Hey, I'm not touching that stuff. Do you have any idea how itchy it is? It's impossible to get out of your fur."

"Hmm, are you sure it's not just because there _are_ some things you should leave to professionals?"

"No, I'm serious. That stuff's almost as bad as mom's sweaters."

Fluttershy laughed and playfully pushed Twilight. "Twily, you're horrible, I can't believe you."

Twilight grinned. "Hey, maybe I _should_ do it myself! I have enough of those sweaters by now, and I'm sure they work just as well."

Fluttershy tried to do her best angry glare, but caved in and hugged her instead. "You're so mean. Why do I love somepony so mean?"

"Must be one of my other amazing qualities. I happen to be one of the only ponies who can routinely burn toast even while using a toaster!" Twilight said proudly.

A rap on the door cut off Fluttershy's reply. Twilight got up to answer it. Ever since returning from Cloudsdale the couple had become increasingly reclusive. Twilight had even given up her habit of reading the news everyday. So long as the outside world could be ignored they were happy, which was why Twilight felt some reluctance to answer the door at all. Thankfully when she did it was only Applejack.

"Mornin' Twi. Mind if I come in for a sec?"

"Of course not." Twilight held the door open. Applejack shook off as much of the snow as she could and stepped inside.

"Oh, hello Applejack." Fluttershy said, walking out from the kitchen.

"Mornin' Fluttershy." Applejack said. "I came by to give y'all a heads up. There's a couple of ponies waiting around in front of the castle."

"Oh." Fluttershy looked down. Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. She normally refrained from displaying any affection towards her marefriend around Applejack, but she also wasn't going to let Fluttershy be sad without at least doing something.

"Do you know if they're part of Ivy's group?" Twilight asked.

""They said they ain't, but who knows. At least they ain't holdin' protest signs this time. There's only two of 'em and they said they need to talk to one of you."

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged looks. "Either of us?" Twilight asked. "That's a bad sign."

"That's what they said." Anypony asking after Fluttershy was either a friend or wanted to talk about their relationship.

"Thank you Applejack, I'll talk to them." Twilight said.

"I'll come with you." Fluttershy said.

Twilight shook her head. "We know they're just going to be protestors. There's no need for us both to go, I'll take care of it."

"And there's no need for you to go alone." Fluttershy said. "Remember, we're a team now."

Fluttershy hugged her and to Twilight's amazement she found an extra hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Applejack standing beside her smiling.

"How about we all go." she said.

"Thanks Applejack, but you don't need to." Twilight said.

"I know I don't, but I want to." Applejack said, bowing her head. "I know I haven't been the most supportive friend through all this."

"Applejack, it's fine." Fluttershy said. "We know you're doing your best."

"I know, and that's why I feel so dumb. All this time y'all been telling me it's okay, but I'm not the one with ponies harassing me for no good reason." Applejack shook her head. "I can't believe I had to see y'all hurtin' so much to finally get it through my thick skull. And I see all those ponies and hear what they're sayin' and I just… well, a year ago that could have been me. So I guess what I'm saying is I'm sorry I've been so stubborn, and I want to be a real friend again." Applejack held out a foreleg as an invitation for a hug, which Fluttershy accepted immediately. Twilight smiled and watched until she was pulled in as well. "You too Twi, I reckon I was even worse when you first told me."

"Don't mention it, Applejack. I'm just glad to have you back now." Twilight said.

"Now then, let's go clear some pests." Applejack said, leading the way to the castle. If anypony along the way had anything negative to say they didn't even notice.

As they approached the castle, however, Twilight stopped in her tracks. There were two stallions waiting by the entrance. One of them she didn't recognize, a blue earth pony with a brown mane. The other, a tan unicorn with a silver mane, she had been avoiding for years. "What is he doing here?" she muttered to herself.

"You know them, Twi?" Applejack asked.

"The unicorn. His name's Silver Spark." Twilight said. She hadn't liked him when they were foals, and she certainly didn't now that he was with the Virtuous Equestrian Society.

"Isn't that Ivy Jewel's son?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded.

"Ya want me to tell them to get lost?" Applejack asked.

"Uhm, girls? I think they noticed us." Fluttershy said as the two stallions approached them. Reflecting on it, Twilight realized standing in the middle of the road was probably not the best idea.

"Twilight! Wow it's been ages!" Silver Spark said. Twilight's ear twitched in annoyance at his tone of familiarity.

"Not long enough. What do you want?" Twilight said. She knew it would be best to remain courteous. Whether she liked it or not the VES had the ear of a lot of ponies and they were sure to spin a story if she wasn't on her best behavior. But she was tired of playing nice and she was not dealing with it anymore.

The two ponies stopped in place and stared at her like she'd struck them. "We just want to talk with you."

"You and everypony else. I'm sorry, I'm just not in the mood to hear about how my personal life is ruining Equestria." Twilight said.

"And you said I was the rude one." Applejack said.

"I really think you should listen to what we have to say." Silver Spark said. The other stallion recovered from his shock and almost seemed to find Twilight's outburst amusing.

"What is it this time? Am I corrupting the minds of the youth? Using my influence to turn ponies gay? Whatever it is I guarantee I've heard it all before!"

Silver Spark held up a hood to pacify her, which only irritated her further. "I understand you're upset, trust me. But if you'd just let me explain-"

"You don't understand! All I see everywhere I go is how everypony has something to say about my relationship with Fluttershy. Well it's none of your business! I've spent years being terrified about coming out for this exact reason, and now that I found somepony I love enough to make it worthwhile, everypony just want to tear us apart! How would you feel if every time you went out in public somepony was there to tell you that you can't be with the mare you love because of something that shouldn't even matter to them? And that you're contributing to the downfall of society because you have the audacity to be with the pony you love? But none of you ever think about that, so how could you know how I feel?"

The two stallions waited patiently for her to finish before Silver Spark smiled. "Oh I think I might have some idea what that's like. Twilight, this is my coltfriend, Sea Star."

Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other in disbelief. "I… but… you're both…"

Silver Spark smiled nervously while Sea Star and Applejack began snickering before outright laughing. "Your faces! Y'all should see the looks on your faces!"

Twilight shook her head. "But… I thought you were with The Virtuous Equestrian Society? You're mom said…"

"My mom has a way with words. Not a good way, I'm afraid. Of all ponies you should know by now she isn't the best source of information." Silver Spark said. "Didn't you get my letters?"

"Oh. Uhm, well, I did." Twilight said, idly kicking at the ground while she talked. "But I kinda didn't read any of them."

"I can't say I blame you." Silver said. "But what about the letters other ponies have been sending?"

"Well… no." Twilight said. "I feel horrible, but I just thought they'd all be hate mail."

"Hold on, how'd y'all even know ponies were sending her letters?" Applejack asked.

"Well, I wrote one too." Sea Star said. "And so did just about every other gay pony in Equestria. You two are kind of a big deal you know."

Twilight didn't know what to say. She thought of the mountain of unopened mail she'd been thinking of burning "You know, I think I'd really like to see some of those letters now."

Fluttershy nudged her. "Twi, we have guests. Let's go inside and warm up. We can make some tea. Or coffee, or cocoa if you prefer."

"Tea with a princess. Wait until I tell my mom about this one!" Sea Star said as they walked into the castle.

"Spike? We're home." Twilight called

Spike popped out from upstairs. "Hiya Twi, Fluttershy." he said as he descended the stairs. "Hey Applejack. Wait a minute… what's he doing here?" Spike glared at Silver Spark.

"You know I said the same thing." Twilight said.

"Hi Spike. I'm surprised you recognize me, you were pretty young last time I saw you." Silver Spark said.

Spike kept his arms folded. "Yeah yeah, I've gotten big. Why are you here?"

Sea Star chuckled. "They really don't like you."

"I… might have been a bit of a brat when I was a colt." Silver said.

"You're still a bit of a brat." Sea rolled his eyes.

"Shush. Spike this is Sea Star, my coltfriend."

Spike cocked his head to the side. "Really?"

"Yes?" Silver frowned. "I promise I'm not pretending to be gay to earn your trust or something."

Spike shrugged. "Okay then." He turned to Twilight. "Should I make lunch?"

"That would be great, thank you Spike." Twilight said.

"Oh, uhm, only if you don't mind though." Fluttershy added.

"No problem." Spike said, scurrying into the kitchen.

"Well that was easy." Sea Star said. "I thought he was gonna yell at us too."

Twilight smiled. "Spike's pretty accepting. I was worried when I first came out to him that he wouldn't understand, but he's been completely fine with everything."

"Yeah, Applebloom was the same way. Heh, to tell the truth she actually ended up helpin' me to understand it." Applejack said.

"The innocence of youth is truly a marvel." Silver said.

"Hey, Spike? Do we have any tangerines?" Twilight called.

"Nope, but we have apples." Spike said.

"We always have apples." Twilight grumbled.

"And what's wrong with apples?" Applejack asked.

"So, why _is_ your mom after us anyway?" Twilight asked. Applejack huffed in annoyance.

"That'd actually be our fault." Silver said. "We'd been dating for a few months but I hadn't come out to my mom. I thought it was the perfect time when you came out, she's always going on about how great you are."

"Yeah, I think I fell off her list of upstanding ponies when she figured out I wasn't going to date her son." Twilight said.

"She was after you with that too?" Silver said, grinning.

"Every time I visited my parents. 'Oh, Twilight, Silver was just asking about you the other day.'"

"'Did you know Twilight's in Canterlot, dear? It would be a perfect time to catch up.' I guess we kind of foiled her plans there." Silver grinned. "But then that same day she formed the VES. She thinks if she can bring you down she'll, I don't know, scare the gay out of me or something."

"Well, it must have resonated with some ponies." Twilight said. "Two thousand in one week. I can't believe they grew so fast."

"Twilight, do you know what my mom's best at?"

Twilight thought for a moment, but everything that came to mind might offend her son. "No, what?"

"Networking. While my dad works my mom socializes, which is a big deal in Canterlot. The VES isn't the first hate group and membership isn't exclusive. All she had to do is talk to a few ponies that run their own anti-homosexuality groups and she got members overnight."

"That's still an awful lot of ponies." Fluttershy said.

"Not really, it just sounds impressive." Silver said. "Do you know what the population of Canterlot is?"

"Seventy-eight thousand as of the last census." Twilight answered automatically. Silver and Sea gave her surprised looks.

"Uhm, yes, actually. And while most of their members are in Canterlot, not all of them are. That's two-thousand spread out all over Equestria." Silver said.

"The VES and the whole anti gay movement are nothing but a very vocal minority." Sea said.

Twilight looked to Fluttershy who was smiling broadly. "I guess I never thought about it in perspective like that. Everypony doesn't hate us."

"I think you should get some of those letters." Fluttershy said.

Twilight went up to her office where she kept her unopened mail. She looked through them for a moment, trying to decide which ones to bring before taking all of them. There were hundreds by now, but she levitated the whole pile down to the living room. By the time she returned Spike had come back with nachos.

"Shoot Twi, I knew you'd been getting a lot of mail, but I didn't think it was this much." Applejack said as she scooted out of the way of the pile of letters Twilight had dropped on the open spot on the couch next to her.

"Yeah, I'm a bit behind." Twilight said as she grabbed a letter at random. Looking at the envelope she recognized the seal of Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns. "Dear Princess Twilight, everypony at CSGU looks up to you, not only as a princess, but as one of our most gifted alumni. We can not express how much it means to us that you've come out publicly. We all know how hard it can be for us to be open with other ponies, and can only imagine how much harder it must be knowing all of Equestria is watching you. Your bravery inspires us all, and has done a lot to improve the attitude of some of the less open minded students. We hope for the best for you and Fluttershy, but know whatever comes you'll always have our support. Sincerely, the Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns gay-straight alliance."

Twilight couldn't believe it. By the time she finished reading she had tears in her eyes. She turned to Fluttershy who kissed her forehead.

"I think there might be too many for you to read on your own." Fluttershy said, picking up a letter herself. "Dear Princess Twilight, yesterday after your announcement my daughter told me she's a lesbian, but was too afraid to tell me. Today I'm meeting her marefriend for the first time. Thank you so much for inspiring her to stop hiding this part of who she is."

"This one's addressed to both of you." Spike said. "Dear Twilight and Fluttershy, me and my husband rarely keep up with the news these days, so we almost missed the big announcement. We've been together sixty seven years, but he's telling me it's been sixty-eight and he's probably right. Anyway, we just wanted to say how great it is that you've given the young ponies something to look up to. I wonder how much trouble we could have saved ourselves if there had been somepony like you when we were younger. We're both wishing you the best of luck."

"Oh, this one's not so good." Sea said, reading over a letter.

"What's it say?" Twilight asked anyway.

"Today my six year old asked me why he saw a picture of Princess Twilight kissing another mare. What you do is your own business, and I'm happy for you and your partner, but you should really keep other ponies in mind before you go parading around your private life." He set the letter down. "Can't win 'em all, Princess."

"It's okay." Twilight said. "If we can help so many ponies I don't think the occasional misguided letter is so bad."

"Mind if I read one?" Applejack asked.

"Of course not." Twilight said.

"Dear Princess Twilight, I met you briefly when you first moved to Ponyville, but you probably wouldn't remember me. Anyway, I wanted your advice with something. For years I've been trying to come to terms with the fact that I like mares, but I come from a big family and not all of them are supportive of that. Family is everything to us, and I'm afraid of telling anypony. But every year gets harder and harder, everypony wants to know why I'm the only mare my age to never bring home a coltfriend. I don't know what to do, and it feels like there's nopony I can talk to about this, please help me. Sincerely, one confused Apple." Applejack looked up wide eyed. "I can't believe it. I never even knew. I feel terrible, one of the Apples feels like she can't even talk to her own family. And even worse 'cause I know she has every reason to think that!"

"Well, there's somepony in the Apple family she can talk to, right?" Twilight rested a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "I'll write her back and tell her she should talk to you. I think more than anything that's what she needs."

Applejack smiled. "Thank you, Twi. And I think the next reunion I'll be talking to a few other Apples as well. It's past time the whole Apple family realizes there's nothing wrong with who another pony decides to love."

They spent the next few hours going through more letters. Before long Twilight found herself too overwhelmed to read anymore so she curled up with Fluttershy and let the others read them out loud. Although there were a few negative letters here and there they were few and far between. She was worried her guests would be bored reading her mail, but they seemed to enjoy all the positive stories as well. And while both couples were new to being openly gay between the six of them they were able to come up with advice for a lot more than Twilight could have by herself.

"I feel kind of guilty." Twilight said. "A lot of these ponies want my advice and I've ignored them for almost two months."

"Well, it's never too late to start." Spike said.

"Yeah, ya can't change the past, but ya can make a difference to a lot of ponies now." Applejack said.

"Besides, I'm sure if you explain they'll understand." Silver Spark said.

"But now all these ponies look up to me. If I tell them how scared I've been I might ruin whatever good I could do." Twilight said.

"I think they'll be happy to know that they're not alone. That even a princess can be afraid." Sea Star said.

"Sometimes we need to see that even when we're afraid we can face our fears." Fluttershy said.

Twilight nodded. Everypony was right, but she wanted to do more. "I'm going to answer every letter. But it just doesn't feel like enough. I want to actually meet these ponies, and any other pony that needs help."

"You could do a tour of Equestria." Silver said. "Stop in every major city.

"Every city, big and small." Fluttershy said. "Nopony should have to feel alone."

"I don't know. We'd be gone a long time." Twilight said.

"Don't y'all worry about a thing. I reckon we can take care of things round here." Applejack said. "Between me, Spike, and the girls there's nothin' we can't handle."

Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "Do you really think this is a good idea? We'll have to meet a lot of ponies."

"Twi, it's a great idea." Fluttershy said. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine as long as you're there with me."

"Alright then, it's settled." Twilight said. "But I still wish we could do more. We won't be able to stay long in any city, and we'll meet so many ponies we won't be able to spend any one on one time with anypony."

"There's always letters." Sea said.

"They take too long to get a reply." Twilight said. "And it's impossible to get the whole picture from just one letter."

"That's actually something we've been thinking about a lot." Sea said.

"It was my mom that inspired us, actually. If she can start her own group, why can't we?" Silver Spark said. "There's several organizations dedicated to creating events, and getting ponies in touch with support, but I want to organize something so that ponies can reach out to somepony who understands them any time."

"The journal." Fluttershy said.

"The journal? What, you mean Sunset's journal?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. Sunset was the first pony you told, right?"

"Yeah, She came out to me first, and I just kinda wrote it without over thinking anything." Twilight said. She was starting to see what Fluttershy was getting at.

"And I could talk to her even though I'm shy because of the journal. It's easy to talk to somepony when you're not face to face."

"I'm not sure I follow." Silver Spark said.

"It's a long story." Twilight said. " Basically I have a magic journal that sends whatever's written in it to an identical journal, which is owned by our friend Sunset Shimmer, who can write back and it'll appear in ours. It's basically like writing letters, but everything's instant."

"If we could make more we could talk to anypony." Fluttershy said.

Twilight could definitely see the merit in something like that, and she loved how excited Fluttershy was at her idea, but there were a few big problems. "I don't know, Shy. That's a lot of ponies. We couldn't possibly keep up with them all, not to mention remember exactly what was going on in everypony's lives."

"You don't have to." Spike said.

"Well you can't expect them to remind us who they are every time, that would be rude and nopony would feel close to us."

Applejack chuckled. "I think what Spike means is that nopony but you expects you to do everything yourself."

"My mom isn't the only pony with connections." Silver Spark said. "If you get these journals working I can get them into the hooves of ponies who will put them to great use."

"It won't be easy, but I think I can do it. I'll get to researching it as soon as I reply to these letters." Twilight said.

"Which knowing Twilight will probably be tonight." Spike said.

"Meanwhile, we better figure out where we're staying tonight." Sea Star said.

"If you don't have a place to stay you're welcome to stay here." Twilight said.

"Oh, I'd hate to put you out." Silver said.

Twilight grinned. "You know castles are typically designed for more than two ponies and a dragon, right? We've got more rooms here than we know to do with."

"Well, if you're sure it's alright."

"Positive."

"Well, I think I ought to get going." Applejack said. She tipped her hat to Silver and Sea. "Pleasure meeting y'all. And I'm glad you two are feeling better." She hugged Twilight and Fluttershy one more time. "And ya better be sure to let me know if there's anythin' at all I can do to help."

Twilight grinned. "Well, you could bring us some tangerines."

"You got it, sugarcube." Applejack said. "I'll bring y'all a nice big sack of apples, first thing in the morning."

"Applejack, as much as I love Sweet Apple Acres apples, if you bring us anymore I'll be able to start my own apple stand."

"Then you'll need lots of apples! I'll have Big Mac come 'round with the cart tomorrow. Maybe we can work out a weekly delivery schedule."

"If you come back with more apples I'm not letting you in." Twilight said, glaring

"Aw shucks Twi." Applejack opened the door, and adjusted her hat before leaving. "Ya couldn't keep me out if ya wanted to."

As Applejack walked into the snow Twilight called after her "No more apples! I'm serious!" She turned back to see everypony snickering. She rubbed her neck sheepishly. "So how long are you planning on staying in Ponyville?"

"We don't really have concrete plans." Sea said. "We've been travelling around Equestria. Silver's never been out of Canterlot before."

"It's certainly been quite the adventure, but it's coming to an end now. Next stop, Canterlot. We've been thinking about crashing one of my mother's parties."

Twilight chuckled. "While I would love to see that, if we're going to be partners on this we'll all have to be on our best behavior. Remember, we'll be the face of an entire group of ponies."

"You're right, of course." Silver said. "And while it'd be fun, I doubt it would actually do much good, anyway."

"Yeah, I guess I can't keep getting us kicked out of all these formal events, no matter how boring they are." Sea said.

"Do I want to know what you mean?" Twilight asked.

"He's referring to the night we met." Silver said.

"I'd like to hear what happened. Uhm, if you don't mind." Fluttershy said, leaning forward in her seat.

"It was at the last gala." Silver said. "My mom was trying to set me up with some mare, so I made an excuse to leave and went to hide in the back. That's where I saw Sea being chased by the guard."

"Oh my, what did you do?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, I wasn't _exactly_ supposed to be there in the first place." Sea said. "I always wondered how the fancier side of Canterlot partied, so I snuck in."

"That must have been disappointing." Twilight said, remembering her first time at the gala and the expectations she had for it.

"It was pretty dull, so I tried to liven things up a bit."

"He got caught trying to spike the punch." Silver said.

"There were kids at that gala!" Twilight said.

"It was _not_ the punch. It was Princess Celestia's cup." Sea defended.

Spike laughed, but Twilight wasn't sure if that was any better. Getting the princess drunk in front of all the most influential ponies in Canterlot was hardly her idea of an amusing joke. She took comfort in knowing that it probably wouldn't work.

"Anyway, they caught me as I slipped in the alcohol, which they thought was poison. They chased me down to imprison me, or whatever it is they do to would be assassins, which is when I ran into Silver."

"By that point they cornered him. I merely suggested they take a closer look at that he'd slipped into her glass. They still weren't sure what it was so he downed the glass himself, which convinced them it was just a prank. They still threw him out, of course, but they didn't arrest him."

"And to my surprise Silver followed me. I offered to take him to a real Canterlot party, so we hopped over to the seedier side of town, had too much to drink, and woke up together in a room neither of us recognized." Sea said.

"You know we never did find out what happened that night."

"It's probably for the best love."

"So what about you two?" Silver asked.

"Well, it's not quite so exciting." Twilight said. "Mostly I just admired Fluttershy from afar because I was too afraid to tell her how I felt. When I finally did I was still too afraid to actually ask her on a date so she wound up asking me."

"Oh, I never could have asked you out if you hadn't of told me that first." Fluttershy said. "In fact, I never even told other ponies I'm gay for the longest time, Twilight found out by accident."

"Yeah, everypony should just talk about their feelings more." Spike said dismissively. "You know, we have a lot more interesting stories than that. Like the time we stopped King Sombra from returning, or what about when that meteor was making magic all super charged and those cockatrice's attacked Canterlot?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "You mean all the times when you saved the day?"

"Hold on, I've always wondered about that cockatrice attack." Silver said. "So you were all there?"

"Nah, they were off doing something else." Spike said, neglecting to mention that 'something else' was rescuing three fillies from Queen Chrysalis while stopping a second changeling invasion. "That time was just me and Celestia. Well, the guard was there too, of course, but we did most of the work."

Twilight smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure the two of you were equally valuable to the fight."

"Twilight, you know better." Fluttershy chastised. "Spike is very brave and resourceful. I'm sure he was a huge help."

"She even said so herself!" Spike said. "'We owe this victory to young Spike.' I got a medal and everything!"

As he launched into the story Twilight suppressed a sigh. She never did get a straight answer from Celestia about what happened that day, but she suspected things didn't happen quite the way Spike claimed they did. Fluttershy nudged her, bringing her out of her thoughts. She turned to Fluttershy who pointed at Spike and smiled. Spike was excitedly recounting using a trident to keep the cockatrices off Celestia's back while she broke through the ones in front with her magic. He was standing on his chair and swinging an imaginary trident while he emphasized every detail of his story. Twilight couldn't help but smile. Whether it was exaggerated or not her little brother had always been there for her, whether it was a high stakes adventure or just getting her to come out of her room and talk to her friends after a bad train ride from Canterlot. He deserved the spotlight once and awhile.

Once Spike finished his story, which both stallions were highly impressed with, the conversation turned to what everypony wanted to do next. Spike suggested bowling.

"Why bowling?" Twilight asked.

Spike shrugged. "We've never been."

"Bowling is fine by me." Silver Sparks said.

"What do you want to do, Shy?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, Uhm… We should probably get started answering some letters." she said.

Twilight could see her point, especially considering how long some of these letters had been waiting for a reply. "Yeah, maybe we can all go out another time, but we should take care of these first." she said.

Once they left Twilight brought the letters up to the office and they began answering them. Twilight insisted on replying to all of them, even the negative ones. She had never failed to answer a letter before, she wasn't about to start now. They were at it all day but neither of them minded. They answered most letters together, with both of them putting in their own reply. Eventually Spike, Silver, and Sea came back with food for Twilight and Fluttershy from where they had stopped to eat after their bowling game. They all talked about the game for a while, which Sea won by a landslide, but Silver and Sea had been up early travelling to reach Ponyville by midday so before too long they decided to turn in for the night. Spike showed them to one of the guest rooms, leaving the two mares alone, which suited Twilight's plans for the night just fine.

"What do you say we take a break?" Twilight asked after waiting a while longer to make sure none of the boys would be disturbing them again.

Fluttershy stretched. "I think that sounds like a good idea." She nuzzled Twilight. "What do you want to do?"

Twilight realized her plan had one huge flaw. While she knew exactly what she wanted to do, she had no idea how to say it out loud. "I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"I think I just want to relax for now." Fluttershy said.

' _Yes, that's perfect. If I can get her into bed this should be much easier.'_ "I could make us some tea, if you want." Twilight said. _'Why did I say that?'_

"I think it's a little late for tea, Twily. You shouldn't drink so much caffeine you know."

"You're right." Twilight said, happy for a second chance to get this right. "We could have cocoa." _'Damn it!'_

"That sounds nice." Fluttershy said. So they made their way to the kitchen with Twilight kicking herself the whole way.

' _How do ponies initiate this sort of thing?'_ she wondered. Sea Star and Silver Spark got drunk their first time. Twilight could imagine that working out, except Fluttershy didn't drink alcohol. Besides, Twilight didn't really see the appeal in getting that drunk herself.

"I'll get it." Fluttershy said, shooing Twilight away from the stove.

"You don't have to Shy, I think I can manage hot chocolate."

"I never said you couldn't, I just want to make it for you." Fluttershy said.

"Thanks, but you don't have to work so hard. You already took care of all the animals by yourself." Twilight said.

"Hush. Just sit down and let me do it." Fluttershy hummed merrily as she gathered the ingredients.

"If you say so." Twilight was honestly glad. She usually didn't mess up cocoa, but this gave her a chance to plan. _'What would Luna do?'_ Judging by what Luna told her in Canterlot she probably had more experience in seduction than any other pony alive. She would be effortlessly smooth, making subtle hints to read the other mares reaction before leaning in to the to whisper in her ear exactly what the night had in store for them.

Twilight's ear twitched as Fluttershy set down a mug in front of her. "Careful, it's hot."

"Thanks Shy." Twilight blew on the steaming beverage.

"So what were you thinking about?" Fluttershy asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

Fluttershy smiled and shook her head. "Twily, I know you better than that. You were zoning out thinking about something." She blew on her own cup. "It's okay if it's something you don't want to talk about."

"It's, well, it's not like that it's just…" Twilight paused. _'Forget seduction, we should just talk about it. Like Luna said, we need to communicate.'_ "I was thinking about a dream I had." _'Or I could keep being a coward. That works too.'_

"Oh? What was it about?"

"Tangerines." Twilight said. It was the first thing that came to her mind.

Fluttershy smiled. "Hmm. We never did get any today."

"It's fine." Twilight said. "I mean, they wouldn't be as good anyway. In the dream they were the best thing I ever ate, but if we actually got any they'd just be tangerines." She shrugged and burnt her mouth trying the cocoa.

"I said it was hot." Fluttershy said as she blew on hers. Twilight went back to blowing on her drink and wondering why she didn't just cool it down with magic.

"I actually had a dream last night too." Fluttershy said. "Although it's, uhm… a little weird."

"What happened?"

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Of course I won't."

"I had a dream I was pregnant." Fluttershy hid in her mane which didn't entirely mask the blush. "I can't even imagine who the father was, but in the dream it didn't matter because there was no father. She was our baby no matter what."

"She? Did our little filly have a name?"

Fluttershy retreated further into her mane and squeaked something.

Twilight smiled and moved closer to her. "Fluttershy, you don't have to be embarrassed. I don't think your dream was weird. It's sweet, and you'd be a great mom."

"I… thanks, Twily. Uhm… her name was Sky Shimmer."

Twilight managed not to laugh, but just barely. "Like your Oubliettes and Ogres character?"

"Yes, well, the name's older than that." Fluttershy leaned against Twilight. "When I was little I had an imaginary friend named Sky Shimmer. She was kinda like Rainbow, the type of pony I always wished I could be. I would pretend that she would protect me from Stormy Skies. I think, if I ever have a daughter, I would want her to be like that."

Twilight hugged her. "I think it's a great name."

Fluttershy looked at her cocoa. "I… I think I'd, uhm, I'd like to have foals someday."

"Oh, uhm. Really?" Twilight tried to keep the shock out of her voice. She knew she shouldn't really be so surprised. And Fluttershy _would_ be a fantastic mom, nopony could deny it. Still, it hadn't really been something Twilight thought too much about.

Fluttershy nodded. "I… well, you'd be a great mom too, Twily."

"I don't know… I get so caught up in what I'm doing I forget to take care of myself, let alone a foal. I'd always be worried sick, I'd probably freak out over every little thing. I'm sure I'd drive them crazy."

Fluttershy giggled. "Twily, you just described _your_ mom."

"I, well… That's not fair!" Twilight said. "I know I'm a lot like her, but I'm not her, Shy. I could never be as good of a mom as she is."

Fluttershy didn't say anything for a while. Eventually she just sat up and took a sip of her cocoa. "Well, I think we'd make a good team."

Twilight levitated her cup to her and took a sip. It had cooled down too much but she drank it anyway. "I just worry. That's a whole life in my hooves, and even with you there to fix my mistakes I'm afraid. But I know you're right, we'd be okay." They reached for each other's hooves at the same time, causing them both to giggle. They sat together drinking in quiet until Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "We are talking hypothetically, right?"

"Oh, uhm, of course. I didn't mean right away or anything. We have this tour to do, and all these books to make. Besides, we're not even, uhm… married…" The last word came out as a squeak.

Twilight finished her no-longer-hot chocolate. "I've actually been thinking about that." Fluttershy turned to her anxiously. "How about this. I've got to do a lot of research on how to make these books, not to mention planning the logistics of how to get them out to everypony and who will be on the receiving ends of the messages. Even with Silver Sparks help it'll be a lot of work. Then we have the whole tour of Equestria, it'll be months before we're back here. Once we return to Ponyville we'll sit down and figure out what we want from the future. Sound reasonable?"

Fluttershy nodded. "I think it sounds perfect."

Twilight kissed her on the cheek which got a small giggle out of the pegasus. "But you know, I don't really think I could picture a future without you."

"Me either. I love you."

"I love you too." Fluttershy snuggled against Twilight who wrapped her in both her forelegs and her wings. Fluttershy yawned. "Sleepy?"

"No." Fluttershy said, still yawning. "A Little."

"Let's get into bed." Twilight said. _'Hey, that was easy. I wasn't even trying that time'_

"But all the letters that still need answers…"

"Can wait until tomorrow. There's no way we're getting them all done tonight anyway. We'll pick it back up once we're well rested."

Fluttershy looked like she might protest until she started rubbing her eyes. "Okay, that sounds like a plan."

On the way up to the bedroom Twilight pondered her next move. _'I'll just kiss her and see where it goes. That's how things kept almost happening before. Oh, but Luna said to let her lead…'_

Fluttershy climbed into bed and didn't even bother with the blanket before closing her eyes. If Twilight was going to do anything tonight it'd have to be soon. _'I suppose I could just wait until tomorrow night.'_ She climbed in next to Fluttershy and pulled the blanket over both of them. She cuddled close to her marefriend, who turned around for a kiss. Twilight got her hopes up only for Fluttershy to turn back around after a quick peck good night. _'Yeah, I'll just wait until tomorrow.'_

"Good night Twily."

"Hey, uhm, Shy?" Twilight's mouth seemed to move on it's own, because she was pretty sure her brain had said 'tomorrow.'

"Mhm?"

"If, uhm, you wanted… I mean, I was wondering…"

"Is everything okay?"

"Well, uhm… You know, I was thinking and okay never mind I can't say this while you're looking at me."

"Say what?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nothing. Good night Shy." Twilight turned around and hoped she'd have another chance to talk to Luna. She hated talking about things like this with anypony, but there was absolutely no way she was talking to Cadance about this one, and she didn't know who else to turn to.

Twilight felt a hoof slide around her chest as Fluttershy pressed against her. She kissed Twilight's neck and Twilight turned around and found Fluttershy's lips against hers. As Fluttershy's tongue slipped into her mouth Twilight was tempted to stop thinking about what was happening and just get lost in the moment, but there was something she needed to make sure first.

"I love you, Fluttershy." she said as she pulled away. Even in the dark she could tell Fluttershy looked disappointed. "I love you so much, and I just have to make sure. This is definitely something you want, right?"

Fluttershy pulled her into another passionate kiss before answering. "Yes. Uhm, if you're sure that you're okay with me."

Twilight grinned. "Fluttershy you have no idea how long I've waited for this. But you know, if you change your mind we can stop."

Fluttershy laughed. "Twilight, I'm fine. I love you, and I trust you."

Twilight was going to say something else but Fluttershy pushed her onto her back and kissed her neck while her hoof traced its way down her body, and she forgot all about whatever it was.


	18. Inner Strength

"Princess? We're running late."

"Just a minute, we're almost ready." Twilight answered through the door. In actuality they were sitting on the hotel bed while Fluttershy panicked at the thought of the crowd forming at the convention center. "It'll be okay Shy. Remember, they're all there because they support us."

"I know." Fluttershy said. They were in Canterlot, which was expected to be the biggest stop of their tour. It was also the first real stop. They had made an appearance in Ponyville before leaving, but it had been much less formal, since they knew most of the ponies in town. It turned out that almost everyone back home _did_ support them, but they had been so focused on the negative reactions they never even noticed the positive ones. But Canterlot was home to the Virtuous Equestrian Society, which put both of them on edge. Fluttershy took a deep breath, mimicking Twilight's breathing technique. She stood up and put on her most worry free smile. "I'm fine, we should get going. We don't want to be late."

As soon as they left the room they were flanked by guards. Twilight had protested the need for them, but apparently Princess Celestia had insisted. It was an official publicity tour by Equestrian royalty, after all, and even if Twilight could protect the two of them by herself the guards did add to their presence. So they let the guards escort them down to a chariot to ride through Canterlot, Twilight awkwardly adjusting her crown the whole way.

They stopped before they could reach their destination. "What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Some ponies are blocking the road." a guard answered. "We'll take care of it."

They waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened and eventually Twilight grew restless. "It's got to be the VES. Wait here, I'll go check on things."

"No, I'm going too." Fluttershy said. She was nervous about facing them, but that was part of why she wanted to go. She had been terrified of Stormy Skies, but since she stood up to him she hadn't had any nightmares about him. She wasn't going to let her fears stop her, especially from standing beside Twilight.

When they stepped out they saw hundreds of ponies blocking the way. The guards were trying to reason with them, but they weren't moving. A few of the guards started making threats of imprisonment, to no avail. Pretty soon things were going to get forceful unless somepony backed down. Although a lot of the protesters were shouting angry slurs or carrying signs with hateful messages, but Fluttershy didn't want anything bad to happen to them. After what Silver Spark had told them about why the VES was formed she wondered how many of them were just afraid of something they didn't understand. She had faith Twilight would be able to resolve things peacefully, but when she turned she found the alicorn staring wide eyed into the crowd, which easily outnumbered their escort twenty to one.

"It's okay, Twi." Fluttershy said.

"I know, it just looks like a lot. There's lots of ponies who accept us. Everypony in Ponyville was happy to see us in town again." Twilight said, more to herself than to Fluttershy. "There's seventy-eight thousand ponies in Canterlot, this is only a small fraction. Just a few hundred ponies, all here because they hate us." She started backing up to the carriage.

Fluttershy draped her wing over Twilight. "Twily, look at me. Just me, don't pay attention to anypony else. Everything will be okay, I'm here with you. I love you."

"I love you too." Twilight said. Even if it was an automatic response it made Fluttershy smile.

"They're all angry, because they're afraid. They let fear control them." She shook her head. "It's miserable feeling like that. But just because they're afraid doesn't mean we have to be. I'm not afraid, because you're here with me. I love you, and we'll get through this together, but they'll just be miserable. I'm not afraid of them because I feel sorry for them."

Twilight took a deep breath and gave a small nod. She was clearly still upset but she smiled a little. "Thanks, Shy. You're right."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we do have a schedule to keep." Both mares turned to see Princess Celestia standing by their chariot.

Twilight smiled while Fluttershy began to bow, but was cut off by the princess placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Please, Fluttershy, there's no need for that." She pulled the pegasus into a hug before doing the same with Twilight. "I was going to say something sooner, but I couldn't help overhearing what you said, Fluttershy, and I simply couldn't have said it better myself."

"Oh, uhm, well, I'm sure that's not, uhm…" Fluttershy blushed at the praise and hid in her mane.

"You are indeed wise beyond your years, Fluttershy. Twilight is very fortunate to have you to take care of her." Princess Celestia said.

Twilight smiled and brushed away Fluttershy's mane. "I certainly am."

"Now then, there's still the matter of what to do with these ponies." Celestia said. "I think I'd better speak with them."

As Princess Celestia walked towards the protesters many of them bowed and some tried to hide their posters in embarrassment. Very few remained resolute in front of the Sun Princess. "Hello, my little ponies." she greeted them warmly. "You're all with the Virtuous Equestrian Society, correct?"

A few murmurs of agreement was all the answer she got.

"While I acknowledge your right to protest, I'm afraid I must inform you it is illegal to do so in the street, or the convention center which is privately owned. You may gather across the street on the sidewalk if you wish, provided you do so peacefully. Also, if she is in attendance I'd appreciate if somepony could point me to Ivy Jewel."

Nopony had to, however, as Ivy Jewel herself walked through the crowd. She greeted the princess as if they were old friends and she was not in direct violation of the law. "Princess Celestia, it's been too long. How are you, dear?"

From behind Fluttershy and Twilight couldn't see the princess' face, but her tone remained pleasant. "I am well, Ivy. I trust you are as well?"

"Oh, I can't complain. I've been doing alright for myself these past few months. It's always so exciting knowing you're making a difference. I am afraid we'll have to disappoint you however, as we won't be moving." Even as she said it ponies behind her began shuffling out of the way.

"Ivy. be reasonable. What is it you hope to accomplish?" Celestia asked, sounding like a teacher chiding a student. "I believe your organization claims to be all about spreading information. Doesn't this seem a little excessive?"

Ivy remained composed, either unaware that her followers were sneaking off one by one or ignoring them. "We will do what we have to in order to keep Equestria on the path to virtue."

"And you believe barring Princess Twilight from meeting with other ponies is the way to do this?" Princess Celestia shook her head. When she continued the warmth from her tone was gone, although she never elevated her voice. "There are several reasons this will not work. For one, you will not stop Princess Twilight, Fluttershy, or even one pony from entering this important event. Anypony who tries will be spending the night in a prison cell, and I will personally escort them if need be. Secondly, if you did somehow succeed in barring our way I would simply relocate the event to the castle. Make no mistake, the guards will not allow you anywhere near the premises. Finally, while I don't expect you to understand, there is nothing wrong with Princess Twilight's relationship. The only thing that would make me fear for Equestria's future is if you were to succeed tonight."

By this point protestors and guests alike were frozen in place watching the scene unfold. Ivy gritted her teeth and didn't reply.

Twilight walked up to her. "Hello Ivy."

"Twilight." Ivy acknowledged curtly.

"I wanted to let you know I've actually taken your advice." Twilight said. Ivy eyed her suspiciously. "A few months ago I finally found time to catch up with Silver Spark."

Ivy's jaw fell, but she quickly composed herself. "Did you now? Well, the princess has made it clear we can't stay here, so I suppose we'll be on our way." Her supporters all turned to her with varying looks of confusion.

"Yes. You know, he's speaking at the event tonight. You're more than welcome to stay." Twilight said.

"Why is Silver Spark here?"

"Isn't he one of us?"

"She must be lying…"

"Ivy, what's she talking about?"

Ivy Jewel lowered her voice. "Please stop Twilight. Don't do this to me."

Anger flashed across Twilight's face, but before she could say anything Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight sighed and stepped closer to Ivy. "Ivy, you have no idea what you put us through. But, and I can't believe I'm saying this, all I want is for you to give your son and his coltfriend another chance. I think if you saw how happy they are together you'd change your mind about all this."

Ivy stepped back and narrowed her eyes. "I will give my son all the chances he needs, provided he fix his life choices. Goodbye Twilight, Celestia." She stormed off, leaving a bunch of confused followers in her wake. one last look at the two princesses and they all stepped aside, clearing the way for ponies to enter the convention center.

Twilight frowned at Ivy Jewel's departure. Fluttershy nudged her. "It's okay, Twi. Maybe she'll come around, but in her own time."

"Truth be told she's always caused more than her fair share of trouble." Princess Celestia said.

"I really thought she might change her mind, for Silver's sake." Twilight said. "I mean, he's her son. Doesn't she care about how much she's probably hurting him?"

"She is misguided and her actions are wrong, but her intent is always with him in mind." Princess Celestia said. "She is afraid for his future, and fearful ponies are always the most dangerous."

"But she doesn't have anything to be afraid of!" Twilight said.

"Most of the things we fear _are_ nothing to be afraid of." Celestia said, smiling wryly. "I remember one time two mares had themselves convinced I would banish them if I found out they had tried to take care of my pet." Twilight grimaced while Fluttershy hid in her mane. Princess Celestia chuckled. "Come on, let's go inside. There's many ponies waiting to meet you two, and I don't think we'll have to worry any more about the VES tonight."

As they walked in ponies stamped their hooves and cheered. Fluttershy backed into Twilight who waved sheepishly. She knew they were all here because they wanted to see her and Twilight, but even knowing they weren't judging them she found it impossible to move. Luckily two ponies came up to them instead.

"Mom! Dad!" Twilight said. She hugged Night Light while Fluttershy hugged Twilight Velvet then traded places.

"Twilight, Fluttershy, I hope you didn't have any trouble from those nasty ponies outside." Twilight Velvet said.

"A little, but Princess Celestia got them out of the way." Twilight said.

"I'm certain you could have handled it yourself, I just sped things up a bit." Princess Celestia said.

"Let's get out of everypony's way here, then we can get caught up. Silver Spark was just introducing us to Sea Star. He's certainly grown up a lot since he lived next door to us." Night Light said, leading the way back to the table. The layout was designed to encourage ponies to move around and socialize, with round tables arranged in a circle, so every table had at least three others around it. Everypony sat on one level, with no high table for guests of honor.

When they reached the table Silver Spark and Sea Star turned to greet them but stopped when they saw Princess Celestia. They both stood up to bow hastily. "That's really not necessary. This is your event after all, I'm only here as your guest." Princess Celestia said, taking a seat.

"It is an honor to have you here, Princess." Silver said as everypony sat down.

"I'm happy to be here. And I must say this is better than your typical Canterlot elitist party." the princess said.

"I've been to a few of those, couldn't let this one be quite so dull." Sea Star said.

Princess Celestia smiled as she recognized him. "You were kicked out of the gala last year. They said you tried to poison me."

Sea Star nervously grinned. "Well, I, uh… It wasn't actually poison, it was whiskey. I, uhm… meant it as a joke." He averted his eyes.

"It was a mistake, princess, I assure you nothing like that will ever happen again." Silver said, grabbing Sea's hoof.

Celestia smiled. "You know, Luna tried the same thing once, only that time I had a meeting with representatives from Griffonstone. While she actually managed to get me to drink the alcohol it fortunately didn't do anything. I don't get drunk easily."

"Oh, is that an alicorn thing?" Sea asked.

"Partly. I'm also larger than the average pony." Celestia said. "In any event, no harm was done, and now you two are doing a world of good. I think we can put that incident behind us."

"Thank you princess." Silver said. He still looked nervous so Twilight decided to change the subject.

"So how's everything going with Unity?" she asked. Unity was the non-profit organization they founded to provide the books to ponies in need as well as find ponies willing and able to be their supporters. While Twilight had helped secure funding and designed the books it was Silver Spark who actually ran the company. Royalty in the private sector was a mess of red tape, and while Twilight could certainly sort through it, her and Fluttershy had decided that they trusted Silver to manage the company, and Twilight simply had too many other responsibilities.

"Smooth sailing so far." Sea said.

"The real test will be down the road once this tour is really underway. I have a feeling we'll see quite the influx of ponies requesting a book in every city you visit." Silver said.

"We've been writing to a delightful young mare." Twilight Velvet said. There was a limit to one book per pony, at least until they saw how things went, but Twilight Velvet and Night Light had decided to take one book between the two of them, since they had always worked together to raise their own kids. "She actually reminds me a lot of you, Fluttershy."

"Do you have a book, princess?" Night Light asked.

"Officially no." Princess Celestia said. "I don't think ponies would feel comfortable telling me or Luna everything they might need help with, so we decided to use pen names. I'm Sunny Skies and she's Moon Beam."

"Hmm… Not sure if I trust Princess Luna to keep that secret." Night Light said.

"I have reservations as well, to be honest." Princes Celestia said.

Fluttershy frowned. She knew Luna could be eccentric and impulsive, yet there was still few ponies she respected as much as the Night Princess. "Uhm… I think Luna's very good at keeping secrets…"

"Of course, you're right Fluttershy." Princess Celestia said. "She won't tell me anything about her pen pal. Mine is a filly who's more than a little head strong, but very determined to her dream of becoming a captain in the guard. It's a bit like when Sunset Shimmer was my apprentice."

They talked for a while more about everypony's pen pals. Twilight and Fluttershy actually didn't have their own, they were waiting until after the tour. Before too long though Twilight and Fluttershy left to speak with the other guests. No matter how much they liked catching up with their Canterlot friends they were here to meet with other ponies, after all.

As they greeted various ponies Fluttershy noticed one young mare who was never too far away. She smiled and tapped Twilight on the shoulder. "I think somepony's a little too shy to talk to you." Fluttershy said, gesturing to the mare who kept glancing over to them as she talked to a few other ponies her age.

Twilight smiled and walked over to them. "Hello everypony, I hope you're enjoying yourselves?"

"Princess Twilight!" The mare said as everypony grinned excitedly. "Yes, we've been having a great time, it's so exciting to be here. We're the gay-straight alliance from Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns. I'm the club president, Dawn Star."

Twilight and Fluttershy both lit up. "Oh, so you're the one who wrote that letter!" Twilight said.

Dawn Star blushed. "Oh, yeah that was me. We were all so excited when you wrote back. Thank you so much, it meant a lot to all of us."

Twilight shook her head. "Actually, I want to thank you. That was the first letter I read when Silver Spark convinced me that I didn't need to be afraid of what everypony had to say. That letter meant a lot to me."

"Really?" Dawn Star asked excitedly.

Fluttershy nuzzled Twilight. "She cried when she read it."

"Fluttershy! Don't tell them that!" Twilight said, blushing.

Fluttershy giggled. "We both cried a lot that day."

The students looked like they might burst with excitement. "Don't worry, princess, you're secret's safe with us." Dawn Star said.

"Uhm, would you mind if we took a picture with you two?" another student asked.

"Of course not." Twilight said. So everypony gathered around Twilight and Fluttershy as one of the students used magic to operate the camera from a distance. "Would you mind sending us a picture once it's developed? We're starting our own photo album on this trip."

"No problem!" Dawn Star said.

"Thank you. Now, as much as I wish we could talk more we have-"

"Fluttershy, Twilight!"

Fluttershy turned in time to see a brown pegasus latch on to her. "Amber? What are you doing here?"

"She came as my date." Luna said. With Amber Glow running at her she hadn't even noticed Luna was there. Everypony from the school stared dumbfounded.

"Oh, are you two official now?" Fluttershy asked as she hugged Luna.

"We've gone on a few dates, but neither of us is trying to start a relationship at the moment." Luna explained.

Amber shrugged. "Yeah, you know, I gotta keep my options open. I don't know if I want to settle for _just_ a princess. I think I could probably get somepony much cooler, like an actress or something."

Fluttershy and a few of the students laughed, but most were still too awestruck. "Wait, Princess Luna, does that mean that you're gay too?"

Luna smiled. "No, I just don't let things like gender affect whom I court. A thousand years ago we didn't have many ponies like me, but I believe now ponies call it pansexual."

"Wow! I never heard about that!" one of the stallions said.

"Yes. Princess Twilight and Fluttershy have inspired many to be more open with themselves and other ponies, including me." She smiled warmly at the couple before continuing. "Although not all the princesses are so full of themselves that they feel the need to hold a press conference about it."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yeah, or you just actually like when ponies spread rumors about you."

Luna turned up her nose but Amber laughed. "Yeah, she totally said 'Let's keep them guessing.' She gets off on being mysterious."

Luna narrowed her eyes. "If you're going to spoil the fun than I shant include you as my co-conspirator any longer."

Amber just chuckled. "Yeah, 'cause you'll find so many other ponies who will put up with your weirdness."

"I could easily find another pony to take your place." Luna said.

"Yeah, if you want to hang out with somepony who only cares about your crown." Amber said. She had to stretch to reach but she kissed Luna's cheek. "I on the other hoof actually like your weirdness."

"Naturally." Luna said. Somepony suggested another picture, so everypony gathered and at Luna's insistence stuck their tongues out at the camera. Fluttershy was pretty sure she saw Amber turn at the last moment to lick Luna.

"Twilight, I brought you a gift." Luna said, wiping her cheek. She levitated a crate over.

Fluttershy was confused, but Twilight seemed excited. "This isn't… It couldn't be." She pulled off the lid to reveal it was full of tangerines. "It is!"

Luna chuckled. "Now before you get your hopes too dashed without warning, yes it is impossible. Those are not the fruit we ate in the dreamscape, but rather the closest I could get. They are imported from Chineigh."

"Really? You didn't need to go through all that trouble." Twilight said.

"She's actually being modest." Amber said. "She personally went to Chineigh to get them."

Luna threw a hoof over Amber's mouth and chuckled. "I had business there anyway. Political stuff."

Twilight smiled and hugged Luna. "Thank you Luna that was very thoughtful."

"You're quite welcome, Twilight." Luna surveyed the crowd. "Hmm, do you think that's him over there?"

Amber hovered for a better view. "Yeah, I think it might be!" She landed and turned to Twilight and Fluttershy. "It was great running into you two, but we're actually here to meet my pen pal."

"I didn't know you had journal." Fluttershy said.

"You bet I do! I was kind kind of nervous about the idea of being somepony's support, but Luna talked me into it. This event is the perfect chance to meet up and hang out."

"That's great!" Twilight said. "Have fun, we'll swing by and meet him after you have a chance to talk."

"Sounds cool. Later!" Amber and Luna waved and disappeared into the crowd.

Twilight and Fluttershy said goodbye to the students and made their way back into the crowd, occasionally stopping to talk with anypony that wanted to speak with them. A few wanted advice or reassurance, but most just wanted to thank or congratulate them. Some ponies said they had come for advice but all the other ponies present were so helpful that they didn't feel like they needed it anymore. Eventually Twilight said it was time to make her speech so they made their way to a small stage.

As they stepped up to the podium all talk died down as everypony turned to them. Fluttershy stepped closer to Twilight. She looked out to the crowd. While there was a lot of ponies she didn't know it wasn't hard to find the ones she did. Twilight's parents waved proudly. Amber whispered something into a colt's ear while she gestured to Luna, causing him to snicker. Celestia was surrounded by the students from her school and smiling warmly. Silver Spark and Sea Star were sitting at a crowded table where they had likely been talking moments before, but now sat in attention of the two mares. She looked next to her to see Twilight smiling encouragingly at her. True, everypony was watching them, but she was surrounded by friends.

Twilight tapped on the mic, and the sound echoed throughout the room. "Hello everypony, and thank you all for coming out here tonight. To tell you the truth, being in front of everypony here is a little overwhelming. I know a lot of you look up to us, but the truth is until recently I was terrified of leaving the house. A lot of you sent me letters after I came out and didn't hear back from me for almost two months because I was afraid to open them until Silver Spark and Sea Star came to Ponyville to tell me that it was okay, that I didn't need to be afraid." She paused as everypony applauded them.

"When I finally did read the letters a lot of ponies said I was their hero, and I don't think I did much to deserve that. I'm trying now, but I don't think we need heroes to look up to so much as we need friends to support us. That's what Unity is all about. I'm still new to this whole thing myself, a year ago I had never been in a relationship before, and not too long before that I hadn't even told anypony that I'm gay. There's a lot I'm still learning every day, and I'm still scared. When I first saw the protesters outside earlier I didn't want to face them, but then Fluttershy told me something that gave me the strength. She told me that we're the lucky ones, because we're not letting hate and fear control us. Because instead of hating we can love. And she's right. There's too much good in life. I know for some of you that's probably hard to see right now. My biggest hope is that Unity can help everypony see what I did when I finally read all your letters: That you're not alone.

"Tonight's actually a pretty important night for me. Because it was a year ago today Fluttershy asked me out." As everypony cheered again Fluttershy blushed. She hadn't expected Twilight to announce that. "I don't think many ponies realize how much she does. Coming out was her idea, I was too afraid to. I'm more than a little embarrassed to admit that I didn't exactly handle it well when she told me she wanted to. Everypony talks about how brave I was, but anything I've been able to accomplish has been because of her, and all our other friends. Because nopony can handle everything all on their own. We need to help each other."

She turned to face Fluttershy and held out her hoof, which she took and stepped forward. Twilight rested her forehead against Fluttershy's. "Happy anniversary. I love you."

Fluttershy closed her eyes. "I love you too. Happy anniversary." She wasn't sure what possessed her to do it. Maybe she wanted to embarrass Twilight for talking about her so much. Maybe she let herself forget about everypony watching for a moment. Maybe she just realized she loved this mare enough that nopony else mattered. Whatever the reason Fluttershy leaned in and kissed Twilight, to the roar of approval of everypony watching.

They stepped down and moved through the crowd, everypony along the way offering their congratulations. They took a seat next to Twilight's parents as Silver Spark and Sea Star walked up to the podium. Silver made his own speech, mostly about the journals and how to get one or how to volunteer to be a pen pal for a pony who needed help, but Fluttershy found it hard to to focus. Her mind kept wandering back to the shock that she kissed Twilight in front of her parents and everypony else. It wasn't even a long kiss, and if Twilight had been embarrassed she certainly didn't seem like she still was.

Once the speech was over Fluttershy applauded along with everypony else, although she had barely heard a word of it. "Uhm, I think I'd like to take a moment. Walk with me?"

"Of course." Twilight said, leading the way down a hall.

Once there was nopony around Fluttershy propped herself against a window sill. The sun was going down and the sky glowed orange.

"I can't believe you actually kissed me in front of everypony." Twilight said, grinning.

"I'm sorry." Fluttershy said. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Don't be sorry. I'm not." Twilight said. She propped herself up next to Fluttershy and stared out the window. "So, after being stuck with me for a year, what do you say? Sick of me yet?"

Fluttershy leaned against her. "Never."

"Good, because I don't plan on going anywhere." Twilight wrapped a foreleg around her. As they leaned on each other watching the sun set Fluttershy knew she was right where she wanted to be.

* * *

Author's note: Thank you for rreading! This is the end of Inner Strength, but there's more to come. I have another story, which is a prequel to Inner Strength (sort of. It's about Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in Cloudsdale) that I'll post soon, then after Friendship Games comes out I'm beginning work on the sequel!

So what'd you think? Stuff you liked our stuff you didn't, I'd love to hear it all. But first remember to hit that next chapter button to check out the epilogue ^^'


	19. Epilogue

Fluttershy sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. She still didn't feel at home, even though she'd lived here for a month. She wondered if she'd ever get used to it.

Shivering in the cold she stood up and moved around. Walking to a window she stared outside to see a thick blanket of snow. She should be in bed. It was freezing, and sitting alone in the kitchen wasn't doing her any favors. At least the coffee was hot. She took another sip.

' _It was just a dream. I'm okay.'_ She repeated to herself the same thing she'd been thinking all night. She glanced towards the bedroom. _'I should tell her. But what if it wasn't just a dream? What will she think of me?'_

She shook her head and sat back down. She stared at the table and zoned out while listening to the tick tock of the clock. _'Only a dream. It was only a dream. Even if it has been six weeks…'_

She jerked her head up suddenly and shook it violently. She grabbed the mug and drank far too quickly, burning her mouth. Still she drained the last of her cup, letting the heat distract her from her thoughts, setting the empty mug down roughly. It fell over and she dropped her head to the table.

"Why did I drink that so fast." she grumbled. She stood up and brought the mug to the sink. Although the water came out cold she washed the cup for the third time that night. After drying off she went into the living room and sat on the couch. Shivering worse than before she curled into a ball.

Despite the cold and the caffeine she dozed off at some point, but slept restlessly. Eventually she woke up as she was shaken gently.

"Fluttershy? What are you doing out here? The sun's not even up yet."

Fluttershy got up and rubbed her eyes. "I couldn't sleep."

She found herself pulled into a hug. "Why didn't you wake me up? Bad dreams again?"

Fluttershy nodded. _'Not about what you think though…'_

"Everything will be okay Shy. I'll never let him near you again. I'll never let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

Fluttershy nodded. She had to tell her. "I… I'm…" She began crying uncontrollably.

"Shy, it's okay. Look at me. Everything's okay."

Fluttershy looked into the other girl's smiling face. "Sunset, I…" She wiped her eyes and smiled. "Thank you. I'll be okay."

Sunset looked at a clock. "Well, we've got about an hour before you have to get ready for school. You want to try to get back to sleep or just stay up?"

"Oh, well, I had three cups of coffee so I don't think I'll get much sleep, actually." Fluttershy said.

Sunset laughed and stood up. "Why'd you even take morning classes?" She disappeared into her bedroom for a minute before coming out with a blanket. Once they were both covered she turned on the TV and hit play, letting whatever was already in the DVD player start playing again. By the time the first light began coming through the windows Sunset had fallen back asleep leaning on Fluttershy's shoulder, but she didn't mind. She knew this was right where she wanted to be.


End file.
